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Secti.n„3±n 


Women  of  the  Reformed 
Church 


/ 

BY      / 

REV.  JAMES  I.  ^GOOD,  D.D. 

Professor  of  Dogmatics  and  Reformed  Church  History  in  the  Ursinus 
School  of  Theology 


Author  of  '*  Origin  of  the  Reformed  Church  in  Germa.ny/'  "History 

of  the  Reformed  Church   in  Germa.ny/'    ''History  of  the 

'Hie formed  Church  in   the    United  States/'  Etc, 


FIRST  EDITION 


Published  by 

THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL    BOARD  OF  THE  REFORMED  CHURCH 

IN    THE    UNITED    STATES 

1901 


PREFACE. 


The  chapters  of  this  book  first  appeared  in  the 
Reformed  Church  Ma§fazine  (1893-1895).  They 
then  received  favorable  comment.  Since  that 
Mag-azine  ceased  pubHcation,  there  have  been  so 
many  inquiries  for  them  that  it  is  evident  they  met 
a  felt  want  in  the  Church,  and  the  Sunday-school 
Board  of  the  Reformed  Church  in  the  United 
States  has  undertaken  their  publication  in  this 
volume.  The  author  has  added  several  chapters  to 
those  that  appeared  in  the  Mag-azine.  It  is  hoped 
that  the  lives  of  these  Reformed  saints  will  stimu- 
late the  ladies  of  our  Church  to  greater  interest  in 
our  splendid  Church  history,  and  to  g^reater  activity 
as  in  missions  and  the  practical  work  of  the 
Church,  in  which  they  already  excel. 

The  Author, 

James  I.  Good. 
Reading,  November  11,  iqoi. 


PART  I. 

Women  of  the  Reformation, 

Chapter  L— SWITZERLAND. 


ANNA  REINHARD^  ZWINGLI  S  WIFE. 

^^I^  HE  wives  of  the  Reformers  are  an  interest- 
*    I      ing-  study.     Thev  receive  sfreatness   from 

sisSSi  their  husbands,  and  impart  gentleness  and 
beauty  in  return.  What  would  Luther  have  been 
without  his  Kathe?  And  Zwingli^s  wife  is  a  help- 
meet to  him.  The  women  of  the  Reformed  Church 
have  been  an  important  element  in  her  history.  Just 
as  Deborah  and  Esther,  with  the  Marys  of  the  New 
Testament,  aided  in  making  up  Bible  history,  so  the 
women  of  the  Reformed  Church  liave  helped  to 
make  her  history  great. 

We  propose  to  give  sketches  of  their  lives  in  this 
volume.  The  first,  and  in  some  respects  the  most 
interesting  of  them,  was  the  wife  of  the  founder  of 
our  Church,  Ulric  Zwingli.  Her  name  was  Anna 
Reinhard.  She  had  not  been  a  nun  like  Catharine 
von  Bora,  Luther's  wife.  She  was  a  pious  widow 
when  he  married  her.     And  there  is  an  element  of 


6  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

romance  about  their  courtship  which  Luther's  life 
does  not  have. 

Not  far  from  Zwingh's  parsonage  in  Zurich  was  a 
house  called  the  Hoefli.  In  it  lived  the  widow  of 
John  Meyer,  of  Knonau.  She  was  born  about  1487, 
although  the  date  of  her  birth  is  uncertain.  Of  her 
youth  we  know  nothing,  except  that  she  was  beauti- 
ful. Her  hand  was  sought  by  a  young  companion, 
John  Meyer  von  Knonau.  But  it  happened  that  his 
father  had  chosen  another  bride  for  his  son.  The 
Knonau  were  among  the  oldest  and  most  promi- 
nent noble  families  in  Zurich,  and  John's  father  was 
proud  of  his  family  and  position.  He  desired  his 
son  to  occupy  the  same  position  in  the  aristocracy  as 
he.  So  he  sent  him  to  the  court  of  the  bishop  of 
Constance,  his  cousin,  to  be  properly  educated.  And 
he  chose  as  a  bride  for  his  son  a  lady  of  Thurgau, 
who  belonged  to  a  noble  Austrian  family.  But  his 
son  was  of  a  different  mind.  With  true  Swiss  in- 
dependence he  preferred  a  Swiss  girl  to  a  foreign 
noblewoman.  He  had  not  forgotten  the  beautiful 
Anna  Reinhard,  the  daughter  of  the  landlord  of  the 
Roessli,  and  they  were  secretly  married  in  1504  at  a 
village  chapel  in  the  canton  of  Zurich.  When  the 
father  heard  of  this,  he  became  terribly  angry.     He 


Anna  Rein  hard,  Zwingli's  Wife.  7 

forbade  his  son  the  house  and  disinherited  him,  leav- 
ing his  fortune  to  his  second  wife,  rather  than  to  his 
son's  family.  Anna's  husband  was  now  cast  on  his 
own  resources.  He  was  elected  to  the  city  council 
in  151 1  against  his  father's  efforts,  and  then  became 
ensign  in  the  Swiss  army,  going  with  them  to  Italy 
in  the  wars  against  France.  But  after  several  cam- 
paigns he  returned  in  broken  health  and  died  in 
1 5 17,  leaving  Anna  a  widow  with  three  children,  a 
son  and  two  daughters. 

Now  it  is  her  little  boy  Ceroid  around  whom  the 
romance  of  Zwingli's  marriage  seems  to  gather.  He 
must  have  been  a  very  beautiful  and  attractive  boy, 
for  his  grandfather  happened  to  be  with  some  of  the 
city  councillors  in  a  room  that  overlooked  the  fish- 
market  one  day,  watching  the  people  going  to  and 
fro.  A  maid  came  along  with  a  little  three-year-old 
boy  and  left  him  sitting  at  the  stall  while  she  paid 
for  her  fish.  The  old  man  noticed  that  the  boy  was 
attracting  the  attention  of  the  passers-by  by  his 
beauty  and  pretty  manners.  He  asked  his  compan- 
ions, whose  child  the  boy  was,  and  was  surprised  to 
be  told  that  it  was  the  son  of  his  son.  He  ordered 
the  child  to  be  brought  to  him  and  took  him  in  his 
arms.    The  child,  unabashed,  played  with  his  beard 


8  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

and  looked  him  in  the  face  so  prettily,  that  the  old 
man  gave  way  to  tears.  He  said  to  the  boy,  "Your 
father  made  me  angry,  but  I  will  not  let  it  injure 
you,  but  will  take  you  as  my  child,  instead  of  your 
father."  And  he  ordered  the  boy  to  be  taken  to  his 
own  home,  where  the  grandfather  and  grandmother 
cared  for  him  with  great  tenderness.  When  he  was 
nine  years  old  his  grandfather  died,  and  his  grand- 
mother cared  for  him. 

Now  this  beautiful  boy,  who  so  aptly  healed  over 
the  breach  in  his  father's  family,  was  destined  to  do 
a  similar  act  for  Zwingli.  It  was  this  boy  who  un- 
consciously brought  his  m.other  and  Zwingli  togeth- 
er, until  they  were  finally  married.  Zwingli  came  to 
Zurich  after  the  death  of  his  grandfather,  when 
Anna  was  struggling  to  support  and  train  her  fam- 
ily, although  she  was  cramped  by  her  small  means. 
She  was  from  the  beginning  one  of  Zwingli's  most 
attentive  listeners,  whenever  he  preached.  As  her 
home  was  in  his  parish,  he  came  in  contact  with  her 
as  her  pastor.  He  soon  saw  her  needs  and  also  her 
Christian  graces.  But  it  was  Ceroid  who  especially 
attracted  his  attention.  Zwingli's  quick  eye  soon 
saw  the  talents  of  this  precocious  boy.  He  gave  him 
private  lessons  in  Greek  and  Latin  and  when  Ceroid 


Anna  Reinhard,  Zwingli's  Wife.  9 

needed  higher  education,  he  sent  him  at  the  early 
age  of  eleven  to  Basle,  then  the  literary  centre  of 
Switzerland.  Thus  Zwingli  became  a  foster-father 
to  the  orphan.  The  boy  was  so  bright  that  his 
teacher  as  Basle  wrote  back  to  Zwingli,  "If  you  have 
any  more  such  boys,  send  them  to  me.  I  will  be  a 
father  to  them,  and  they  shall  be  my  sons.'^  When 
the  boy  went  (1523)  to  the  baths  at  Baden,  instead 
of  giving  him  the  customary  present,  Zwingli  gave 
him  what  was  better.  He  wrote  him  a  book,  entitled 
"Directions  for  the  Education  of  a  Young  Noble- 
man," and  dedicated  it  to  him.'^  Most  earnestly  he 
urged  him  to  good  morals  and  a  Christian  life.  This 
beautiful  and  timely  appeal  saved  the  boy.  He  start- 
ed out  in  a  new  life,  and  never  after  brought  dis- 
grace, but  only  honor  on  his  family  or  friends.  He 
became  the  brightest  and  most  promising  of  the 
youth  at  Zurich — a  member  of  the  city  council  when 
only  eighteen,  and  president  of  the  city  council  at 
the  early  age  of  twenty-one.  Although  only  a 
young  man,  he  thus  very  rapidly  rose  to  the  highest 


*A  fine  translation  of  this,  the  first  Reformed  work  on 
education,  has  been  made  by  Prof.  A.  Reichenbach,  of 
Ursintis  College,  entitled  "The  Christian  Education  of 
Youth." 


10  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

positions  in  the  city.  Now  it  was  Zwingli^s  fatherly 
care  over  Ceroid,  his  favorite,  that  prepared  the  way 
for  his  marriage  with  Gerold's  mother.  Ceroid  was, 
as  her  biographer  says,  the  means  of  bringing  his 
foster-father  and  his  anxious  mother  together. 

But  there  were  grave  difficulties  in  the  way  of  the 
marriage,  for  it  was  not  customary  then  for  priests 
or  ministers  to  marry.  A  priest  had  married  in 
1523  in  Zurich,  and  it  had  caused  a  great  commo- 
tion. Zwingli  married  Anna  in  1522.*  His  mar- 
riage caused  a  great  sensation,  more  in  his  birth- 
place in  the  Toggenburg  than  in  Zurich.  The  Ro- 
manists and  the  Anabaptists  charged  him  with  mar- 
rying Anna  for  her  beauty  and  her  money.  He  re- 
plied that  as  for  her  money,  she  was  not  worth  more 
than  400  guilders. 

After  marrying  Zwingli,  she  ceased  to  wear  jew- 
elry. Zwingli  addresses  her  as  his  dearest  house- 
wife, and  such  she  was,  a  useful  helpmeet  in  his 
work.  She  was  a  model  ministers  wife,  the  foster- 
mother  of  the  poor,  the  visitor  of  the  sick.    She  was 


*Schaff  says  that  a  letter  from  Myconius  to  Zwingli 
would  seem  to  show  that  Zwingli  was  married  as  early 
as  1522,  but  kept  it  secret  for  two  years  for  fear  of  the 
opposition  to  it  by  the  people.  Myconius  wrote  to  him 
in  1522    saying,  "Farewell  to  your  wife." 


Anna  Reinhard,  Zzvingli's  Wife.  ii 

called   "the  apostolic   Dorcas."     Her   care   for  liei 
husband  was  greater  even  than  for  the  parish.     She 
brightened  his  cares  and  sympathized  with  him  in 
his   sorrows.     When   her  husband,  with  the  other 
ministers   of  Zurich,   began   translating    the    Bible 
(1525)    and  published  it    (1529)    complete  several 
years    before    Luther's    complete    Bible    appeared 
(1534)  it  was  his  custom  to  read  to  her  its  proof- 
sheets  every   evening  before   retiring.      She   after- 
wards spoke  of  the  eager  interest  she  felt  in  the 
story  of  the  gospel  as  it  was  thus  translated  into  her 
own  Swiss  tongue  by  her  husband.     When  it  was 
published  he  presented  her  with  a  copy  of  it.    The 
Bible  thus  became  her  favorite  book.     She  tried  to 
introduce  it  into  the  families  of  the  congregation  so 
that  it  might  become  the  property  of  each  household. 
When  she  found  that  her  husband  by  early  rising 
and  excessive  labors  was  becoming  too  deeply  ab- 
sorbed in  his  work,  she  would,  as  he  says  in  a  letter 
to  Vadian,  pull  his  sleeve  and  whisper  in  his  ear, 
"Take  a  little  more  rest,  my  dear.''     In  her  inter- 
course  with   others   she   revealed    the    Christian's 
spirit.     The    more    religious  the  conversation,  the 
more  she  took  part  in  it.      No  greater  joy  could 
come  to  her  than  to  receive  some  new  light  on  some 


12  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

holy  truth.  She  loved  to  hear  Zwingli  in  his  homi- 
letical  works  sometimes  throwing  new  light  on  the 
character  of  Christ.  She  thus  lived  in  a  religious 
atmosphere.  Toward  her  husband  she  always  show- 
ed great  reverence.  Only  one  letter  written  by 
Zwingli  to  her  has  come  down  to  us.  It  was  written 
from  Berne  in  1528,  just  after  a  child  had  been  born 
in  his  absence.  It  is  a  beautiful  Christian  epistle, 
thanking  the  Lord  for  the  birth  of  a  son,  and  pray- 
ing that  both  parents  might  be  able  to  educate  him 
aright,  urging  her  not  to  be  anxious  about  his 
safety,  and  sending  salutations  to  friends.  He  also 
\vrote  to  her  afterward  from  Strasburg  when  on  his 
way  to  Marburg,  when  he  praised  the  wife  of  Zell 
the  Reformer,  at  Strasburg,  of  whom  he  said,  "She 
combines  the  graces  of  both  Mary  and  Martha." 
Anna  welcomed  his  friends  and  entertained  his 
guests,  of  whom  there  vvas  always  a  large  number. 
For  Protestant  refugees  were  many  in  those  days, 
and  Zwingli^s  house  v/as  always  open  to  them.  When 
Zwingli  v.^as  engaged  or  away,  she  was  the  centre  of 
the  circle.  The  leading  citizens  and  ministers  like 
Leo  Juda,  Pellican  and  others,  gave  her  great  credit 
and  praise.  And  the  upper  chancellor  of  Silesia, 
Arator,  who  visited  Zwingli  in  1526,  was  so  pleased 


Anna  Reinhard,  ZwingWs  Wife.  13 

with  the  Christian  arrangement  of  Zwingli's  home, 
that  he  declared  he  would  never  forget  it,  and  called 
Anna  "an  angel-wife."  But  her  married  life  had 
not  only  pleasure  and  honor  in  it,  but  also  care  and 
anxiety.  The  danger  in  which  her  husband  continu- 
ally lived,  gave  her  great  care.  He  was  repeatedly 
warned  not  to  go  out  in  the  street  alone  at  night,  lest 
he  be  killed  or  carried  off  into  a  Catholic  canton  and 
suffer  like  Huss.  He  was  also  warned  to  be  careful 
where  he  ate  or  drank,  for  fear  he  might  be  poison- 
ed. Anna,  when  she  noticed  any  danger  at  his  side, 
would  call  for  help.  Frequently  when  her  husband, 
especially  in  winter  time,  had  to  go  through  the 
streets  after  dark,  she  would  call  a  citizen  to  accom- 
pany him.  Or  when  he  was  kept  in  the  corporation 
meeting  late  in  the  evening,  she  would  try  to  arrange 
to  have  some  friend  accompany  him  home.  She  was 
always  at  his  side  or  thoughtful  of  him  when  danger 
seemed  near.  Thus  many  attempts  on  his  person, 
although  near  fulfillment,  were  frustrated.  On  Au- 
gust 28,  1525,  their  house  was  stoned  by  two  citizens 
at  night,  the  stones  sending  pieces  of  wood  through 
the  house.  Anna  and  the  family  raised  a  great  out- 
cry. But  Zwingli  seized  his  sword  and  quieted 
them,  calling  out  that  if  any  one  outside  had  any 


14  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

business  they  should  come  the  next  morning  at  day- 
light. 

These  anxieties  were  only  prophecies  of  the  still 
greater  sorrow  that  was  to  come  to  her.  She,  with 
her  husband,  saw  the  black  storm  gathering  over 
them,  and  which  burst  on  the  awful  eleventh  of  Oc- 
tober, 1 53 1.  For  on  the  ninth  the  news  came  tiiat 
the  army  of  the  Catholic  cantons  was  approaching. 
Hastily  a  little  army  was  gathered  at  Zurich  against 
them.  Zwingli  was  ordered  to  go  along  with  them 
as  chaplain.  On  the  Charity  Square  just  in  front  of 
the  parsonage  a  part  of  the  soldiers  formed  so  as  to 
depart.  His  wife  came  forth  to  bid  him  good-bye. 
Unable  to  repress  her  feelings  she  burst  into  tears, 
her  children  joining  with  her  in  weeping,  clinging  in 
the  meanwhile  to  their  father's  garments  so  as  to 
detain  him,  if  possible,  from  danger.  "The  hour  is 
come,"  he  says  to  her,  "that  separates  us.  Let  it  be 
so.  The  Lord  wills."  He  then  gave  her  a  parting 
embrace.  Her  fears  almost  robbed  her  of  her 
speech,  but  she  said,  ''We  shall  see  each  other  again 
if  the  Lord  will.  His  will  be  done.  And  what  will 
you  bring  back  when  you  come  ?"  Zwingli's  prompt 
reply  was,  "Blessing  after  dark  night."  These 
were  his  last  words  to  her,  and  they  remained  as  a 


Anna  Reinhard,  ZwingWs  Wife.  15 

sacred  comfort  to  her  in  all  her  after  life.  For  she  be- 
lieved that  blessing  would  come  after  the  dark  night 
of  earth,  as  she  saw  him  in  the  light  of  the  new  day 
in  heaven.  Zwingli  then  pressed  his  children  to  his 
heart  and  tore  himself  away.  As  he  rode  with  the 
soldiers  around  the  corner  of  the  street,  he  looked 
back  and  she  waved  him  a  last  good-bye.  And  now 
in  her  sorrow  to  whom  should  she  go  but  to  her 
Savior,  to  whom  her  husband  had  led  her  after  he 
came  to  Zurich.  She  hurried  into  the  house,  and 
with  the  children  threw  herself  down  in  the  lonely 
chamber  and  prayed  in  the  words  of  the  Savior: 
"Father,  not  my  will,  but  Thine  be  done.^^  Comfort- 
ed she  arose  and  awaited  the  result  of  the  battle. 
When  the  first  news  of  the  defeat,  and  of  her  hus- 
band's and  her  son's  deaths  came,  her  friends  con- 
cealed from  her  the  very  sad  particulars  connected 
with  it.  They,  however,  hastened  to  comfort  her. 
Prominent  citizens  and  ministers  visited  her,  sym- 
pathizing with  her.  Prominent  ministers  from  oth- 
er cities,  as  Capito  and  Bucer  of  Strasburg,  and  Kel- 
ler of  Augsburg,  wrote  beautiful  letters  of  Christian 
sympathy.  But  the  greatest  comforter  of  all  to  her 
was  young  Henry  BuUinger,  her  husband's  suc- 
cessor.   He  now  took  her  husband's  place  and  cared 


1 6  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

for  her  as  a  son.  He  said  to  her :  "You  shall  not 
want,  dear  mother.  I  will  remain  your  friend,  your 
teacher  and  adviser."  Nor  did  he  stop  with  words, 
but  fulfilled  them  by  deeds.  Zwingli  had  left  his 
family  no  means,  for  all  he  could  spare  he  gave  to 
the  poor.  So  Bullinger  took  her  under  his  own 
roof,  at  his  own  table,  and  united  the  two  families 
into  one.  He  also  acted  as  a  father  to  Zwingli's 
children,  supervising  their  education  and  sending 
young  Ulric  to  Basle  at  his  own  expense. 

Of  the  later  years  of  Anna  we  know  almost  noth- 
ing. It  is  said  she  rarely  went  out  of  the  house  after 
Zwingli's  death,  except  when  she  went  to  church. 
She  now  lived  for  her  children  and  for  her  Lord.  In 
her  later  life  she  was  very  sick,  and  her  disease 
continued  for  some  years;  but  she  bore  her  suffer- 
ings patiently. 

Of  her  death  on  December  6,  1538,  Bullinger 
says:  "I  desire  no  more  happy  end  of  life.  She 
passed  away  softly,  like  a  mild  light,  and  went  home 
to  her  Lord,  worshipping,  and  commending  us  all 
to  God."  Her  death  was  like  her  life — sweet,  quiet, 
beautiful. 

The  most  prominent  scene  in  her  life,  and  also  the 
most  impressive,   is  at  the  time  of  her  husband's 


Anna  Reinhard,  Zwingli's  Wife.  17 

death  on  the  battle-field  at  Cappel.  Bullinger  says 
that  at  the  news  of  that  awful  defeat  there  arose  in 
Zurich  a  loud  and  horrible  cry  of  lamentation,  and 
tears,  bewailing  and  groaning.  But  her  weeping 
was  greater,  her  sorrow  was  deeper.  The  greater 
her  husband,  the  greater  her  grief.  She  had  had 
sorrows  before,  but  this  eclipsed  them  all.  For  his 
death  was  not  her  only  sorrow  then.  With  her  hus- 
band there  died  on  the  battle-field  her  bright,  beau- 
tiful son.  Ceroid.  Nor  was  this  all  her  sorrow. 
With  her  beloved  husband  and  son  there  lay  dead  on 
that  battle-field  her  brother  and  her  brother-in-law, 
while  a  son-in-law  was  wounded  unto  death.  The 
sadness  of  death  compassed  her  about  in  all  direc- 
tions. And  then  came  the  news  that  her  husband's 
body  was  quartered  and  burned,  and  its  ashes  dese- 
crated. Was  there  ever  sorrow  like  hers?  Yes, 
there  was  One,  of  whom  the  prophet  speaks:  ''Be- 
hold and  see  if  there  be  any  sorrow  like  unto  my 
sorrow.^'  To  that  Savior  from  sorrow  she  went  in 
her  sorrow,  and  He  comforted  her  soul  and  raised 
up  helpers  to  her.  In  one  of  her  biographies  there  is 
a  picture  of  her,  weeping  and  in  prayer,  while  a 
heavenly  hand  is  reached  down,  wiping  away  hei 
tears  and  beneath  it  is  the  text :  "God  will  wipe  away 


1 8  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

all  tears  from  their  eyes/'  In  view  of  her  great  and 
many  sorrows  she  might  well  be  called  the  Mater 
Dolorosa,  the  weeping  mother  of  the  Reformation. 
Under  her  crosses  she  wept  as  Mary  did  at  the  cross. 
And  just  as  John,  the  beloved  disciple,  took  Mary  to 
his  home,  so  young  Henry  Bullinger  gave  Anna  a 
home  and  became  a  beloved  son  to  her. 

The  oldest  daughter  of  Anna  Zwingli,  named  Re- 
gula,  inherited  the  beauty  of  her  mother  and  pos- 
sessed the  piety  of  both  her  parents.  She  grew  up 
in  the  family  of  Bullinger  with  young  Rudolph 
Gualther,  who  afterwards  became  her  husband  and 
also  the  successor  of  her  father  and  of  Bullinger  as 
the  antistes  or  head  of  the  Zurich  church.  During 
the  Marian  persecution  in  England,  many  of  its  re- 
fugees came  to  Switzerland  and  were  entertained  by 
her.  at  her  home,  among  them  Grindal,  later  Arch- 
bishop of  Canterbury,  and  others,  who  later  became 
bishops  of  England.  After  her  death  her  husband 
thus  wrote  of  his  loss,  "What  the  pious  Abraham 
lost  in  his  beloved  Sarah,  and  Jacob  in  his  lovely 
Rachel,  that  have  I  also  now  to  mourn.  An  example 
of  purest  love — of  the  most  inviolable  conjugal  fi- 
delity and  domestic  virtue,  she  knew  how  to  drive 
away  sadness  and  every  tormenting  care  from  my 


REGULA  ZWINGLI  AND  HER  CHILD 


Anna  Reinhard,  ZwingWs  Wife.  19 

soul/'  Her  son,  Rudolph,  whose  picture  we  show 
with  hers,  also  later  wrote  a  poem  describing  her 
fidelity,  piety  and  other  graces. 


T 


II. 

Calvin's  wife,  idelette  d^bures. 

HE  wife  of  Calvin  is  an  almost  unknown,  but 
very  interesting  character,  and  worthy  of  a 
more  prominent  place  among  the  women  of 
the  Reformed  Church.  Calvin  did  not  think  of  mar- 
rying till  he  was  thirty  years  of  age,  when  he  came 
to  Strasburg,  1539.  Then  it  was  that  he  had  more 
leisure  to  consider  this  important  matter.  His 
friends,  too,  urged  him  to  marry.  Well-meaning 
friends  had  anxiously  concerned  themselves  about  it 
long  before  he  did,  for  he  was  over  thirty  years  of 
age  when  he  began  to  seriously  consider  it.  An 
irate  housekeeper  drove  him  to  seek  for  a  wife.  For 
she  was  so  ill-tempered  that  one  day  she  spoke  to 
Calvin's  brother,  Antoine,  with  such  impertinence 
that  he  left  the  house,  saying  he  never  would  enter 
it  again  as  long  as  she  was  there.  Whereat  she  re- 
plied, "Then  I  am  going,  too,"  and  she  left  Calvin, 
without  any  one  to  care  for  him.  So  as  he  wished 
to  be  freed  from  the  petty  worries  of  life,  that  he 
might  give  himself  more  fully  to  the  work  of  the 
Lord,  he  began  to  search  for  a  suitable  person  for  a 
wife ;  or  rather,  he  let  his  friends  search  for  him,  as 

21 


22  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

he  thought  they  knew  better  than  he  did.  But  he  re- 
served for  himself  the  final  decision  in  the  matter. 
He  seems  to  have  had  several  ladies  recommended 
to  him.  "I  was  offered,"  he  wrote  to  Farel,  his 
closest  friend,  "a  lady  who  was  rich,  young  and  of 
noble  birth,  and  whose  dower  surpassed  all  that  I 
could  desire.  Two  things,  however,  urged  me  to  re- 
fuse. She  could  not  speak  French,  and  it  seemed 
to  me  she  must  be  rather  proud  of  her  birth  and  ed- 
ucation." 

The  main  difficulty  Calvin  experienced  was  in  the 
moral  qualities  of  the  person  he  sought.  He  looked 
beyond  mere  beauty  of  face  or  form,  seeking  beauty 
of  soul.  He  says  "he  wished  a  wife  who  would  be 
gentle,  pure,  modest,  economical,  patient,  and  to 
whom  the  care  of  her  husband  would  be  the  chief 
matter;"  probably  owing  to  his  poor  health  he  felt 
especial  need  of  the  last  named  requisite.  He  evi- 
dently had  a  lofty  ideal  of  the  wife  he  wanted.  In- 
deed,  it  has  been  said  that  his  marriage  was  not  so 
much  of  the  heart  as  of  the  head,  and  made  not 
through  falling  in  love  as  much  as  being  a  business 
matter.  He  has,  therefore,  been  charged  with  being 
a  cold,  though  kind  husband.  This  would  in  some 
sense  seem  natural  to  one  like  Calvin,  who  was  so 


Calvin  s  Wife,  Idelette  D'Bures.  23 

eminently  intellectual.  And  yet  D'Aubigne  says, 
"This  seems  to  me  doubtful ;  when  once  married,  he 
had  a  genuine  affection  for  his  wife.  There  was,  we 
believe,  a  lofty  intellect  and  a  sublime  genius,  but 
also  that  love  of  kindred,  those  affections  of  the 
heart  that  complete  the  man." 

These  high  ideals  of  Calvin  only  reveal  how  high 
must  have  been  the  character  of  Idelette  De  Bures 
(Van  Buren)  to  be  able  to  fulfil  them.  When  Cal- 
vin had  sought  for  a  wife,  until  he  was  almost  ready 
to  give  up,  Bucer  called  his  attention  to  Idelette,  for 
Bucer  had  known  her  for  her  piety,  her  watchful 
tenderness  and  power  of  self-sacrifice  as  a  wife, 
widow  and  mother.  She  had  fled  from  Liege  for 
the  sake  of  her  Protestant  faith,  and  had  married 
John  Storder,  who  had  been  an  Anabaptist,  but  both 
had  been  converted  to  the  Reformed  faith  through 
Calvin^s  efforts.  Calvin,  therefore,  had  become  ac- 
quainted with  her  before  her  husband's  death.  She, 
it  seems,  had  been  living  so  retired  that  he  did  not 
think  of  her  at  first.  He,  however,  had  noticed  her 
deep-seated  faith,  devoted  affection  and  Christian 
courage,  that  had  led  her  to  give  up  all  for  her  faith. 
So  Calvin  proposed  to  her  and  was  accepted. 

The  marriage  took  place  August  i,  1540.     It  was 


24  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church, 

quite  a  large  public  wedding,  some  of  the  Swiss 
towns,  as  Neuchatel,  being  represented  by  deputies. 
Calvin's  friends  from  France  also  took  part  in  the 
wedding.  Calvin  was  very  happy  after  the  wedding. 
He  called  Idelette  "the  excellent  companion  of  his 
life,  the  ever  faithful  assistant  of  his  ministry.-'  He 
believed  what  the  Bible  says,  "that  whoso  findeth  a 
wife,  findeth  a  good  thing  and  obtaineth  favor  of  the 
Lord.''  D'Aubigne  calls  attention  to  the  fact  that 
the  reason  why  we  know  so  much  less  about  her 
than  we  do  of  Luther's  wife,  is  because  Calvin  wrote 
less  about  her.  And  he  did  this  purposely.  For 
what  Calvin  prized  most  in  his  heart  was  her  mod- 
esty. He,  therefore,  had  such  a  sense  of  propriety 
that  he  did  not  obtrude  her  in  his  letters  or  his  work 
any  more  than  he  would  have  thought  of  seeing  her 
gadding  about  in  the  street.  With  him,  too,  every- 
thing was  swayed  by  the  thought  of  the  work  of 
Christ,  and  all  his  private  and  domestic  affairs  were 
eclipsed  by  this.  For  these  reasons  he  wrote  less 
about  her  than  Luther,  and  therefore,  unfortunately 
for  us,  we  know  less  about  her.  But  this  very  silence 
is  in  itself  a  beautiful  tribute  to  her  character. 

Hardly  had  Calvin  been  married  than  he  had  to 
leave  her.    He  was  summoned  to  go  to  the  confer- 


Calvin  s  Wife,  Idelette  D'Bures.  25 

ences  at  Hagenau  and  Worms  on  account  of  political 
affairs.  He  left  his  wife  at  Strasbiirg  in  the  care 
of  his  brother  Antoine,  and  of  a  family  named 
Richebourg,  whose  sons  had  been  his  pupils.  Hardly 
had  he  gone,  before  the  awful  plague  broke  out  in 
Strasburg.  But  duty  to  the  Protestant  cause,  which 
was  imperiled  at  these  conferences,  was  stronger 
than  duty  to  his  family,  and  he  could  not  come 
home.  Meanwhile  the  plague  raged  violently.  Young 
Louis  De  Richebourg  and  Claude  Ferey,  an  intimate 
friend  of  Calvin's,  soon  died  of  it.  Antoine,  his 
brother,  fled  from  Strasburg.  Calvin  in  agony 
watched  the  mail  for  the  news,  fearing  the  worst  for 
his  wife.  He  wrote  to  a  friend  in  Strasburg,  "Day 
and  night  I  see  my  wife  before  my  eyes,  who  is  in 
the  midst  of  these  dangers  without  help  and  advice, 
because  her  husband  is  away.  I  make  great  efforts 
to  resist  my  grievous  anxiety.  I  have  recourse  to 
prayer  and  holy  meditation."  His  prayers  were 
heard,  Idelette's  life  was  spared,  and  she  was  per- 
mitted to  welcome  him  back  to  Strasburg.  When 
Calvin  was  recalled  to  Geneva  he  left  her  at  Stras- 
burg. The  council  of  Geneva  sent  three  horses  and 
a  carriage  to  bring  her  and  her  household.  They 
allotted  a  house  with  a  garden  attached  to  Calvin 


26  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

and  his  wife.  Tliere  she  revealed  the  same  beauti- 
ful characteristics  of  a  faithful  wife.  She  was  de- 
voted to  her  husband.  As  he  was  naturally  sickly 
and  weak,  she  watched  by  his  bedside  in  sickness, 
and  cheered  him  in  moments  of  weakness  and  de- 
pression. She  thus  greatly  soothed  him  in  the  midst 
of  the  tremendous  burdens  of  his  labors.  Doubt- 
less we  owe  much  of  the  abundance  and  clearness  of 
his  thoughts  to  her  kind  ministry  in  the  home.  Of- 
ten she  watched  by  his  bedside  at  night,  holding  up 
his  weary  head,  for  he  was  a  terrible  sufiferer  of 
headache.  In  his  sad  hours,  when  adverse  news 
came,  she  strengthened  and  comforted  him.  When 
the  rebellious  raged  through  the  streets,  crying  out 
against  the  ministers  of  Geneva,  she  retired  to  her 
chamber,  fell  on  her  knees  and  prayed.  Like  a  good 
pastors  wife  she  visited  the  sick.  She  was  often 
seen  comforting  the  sorrowing.  Her  house  was  an 
asylum  for  the  numerous  refugees  who  came  crowd- 
ing to  Geneva,  ^he  cared  for  them  with  such  beau- 
tiful hospitality  that  by  some  she  was  blamed  for  be- 
ing more  careful  of  strangers  than  of  the  natives  of 
Geneva.  She  delighted  in  the  company  of  his 
friends,  especially  of  Farel,  Beza,  and  others.  She 
would  accompany  her  husband  on  his  walks,  which 


Calvin  s  Wife,  Idelette  D'Bures.  27 

he  took  only  too  rarely,  to  Cologny  and  Bellerive. 
Yiret's  wife  was  to  her  as  a  sister,  and  in  May,  1545, 
when  her  husband  went  to  Zurich,  to  stir  up  the 
German  cantons  to  intercede  for  the  Waldenses,  she 
visited  Viret's  wife  at  Lausanne.  But  she  had  great 
sorrows,  which  brought  much  sickness.  One  by  one 
her  children  were  taken  away  from  her  by  death  in 
infancy.  In  July,  1542,  she  became  very  sick,  and 
Calvin  was  greatly  alarmed.  He  wrote  to  Viret,  "I 
am  in  great  anxiety.'^  The  next  month  her  new-born 
babe  died.  Great  was  Calvin's  grief.  Writing  to 
Viret,  he  says,  ''Salute  all  the  brethren — salute  also 
thy  wife,  to  whom  mine  sends  her  thanks  for  the 
sweet  and  holy  consolation  which  she  received  from 
her.  She  would  write  to  acknowledge  these  with  her 
own  hand,  but  she  had  not  strength  to  dictate  a  few 
words.  In  that  He  hath  taken  away  our  son,  He 
hath  stricken  us  sorely,  but  He  is  our  Father.  He 
knoweth  what  is  meet  for  His  children.^'  Thus 
wrote  Calvin,  and  yet  he  has  been  reproached  as  one 
whose  heart  was  in  his  head,  and  as  having  no  ten- 
der, deep  feelings.  Two  years  after  this  another 
child  died,  an  infant  daughter.  And  the  next  year 
another  baby  died.  But  like  Rachel  of  old,  Idelette 
mourned,  and  yet,  unlike  Rachel,  she  did  not  refuse 


28  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

to  be  comforted,  for  her  consolation  was  that  they 
were  with  Christ,  which  is  far  better.  This  sorrow 
was  made  all  the  greater  because  the  Catholics 
claimed  that  their  deaths  were  a  judgment  on  them 
for  being  heretics.  Calvin  and  his  wife  bore  these 
reproaches  with  meekness,  Calvin  replying  to  them 
that  though  he  had  no  natural  children  living,  he 
had  myriads  of  spiritual  sons  throughout  the  Chris- 
tian world. 

Her  married  life  lasted  only  nine  years.  She  nev- 
er had  been  strong.  In  1549  it  was  evident  that  she 
was  becoming  seriously  ill.  For  three  years  she  had 
suffered  from  fever,  v/hich  with  her  sorrows  had 
completely  broken  her  down.  Calvin  now  wrote  to 
Viret,  'T  fear  a  fatal  termination.  The  Lord  will 
perhaps  show  us  a  more  favorable  countenance."  His 
fears  proved  only  too  true.  Although  his  wife  had 
the  best  of  physicians,  Textor,  who  was  a  refugee 
and  warm  personal  friend  of  Calvin's,  yet  all  the 
physician's  efforts  failed  to  stay  the  disease.  She 
gradually  grew  worse,  and  by  April  first  her  condi- 
tion became  so  serious  that  all  hope  of  cure  was  giv- 
en np.  Beza  and  others  of  Calvin's  friends,  as  soon 
as  they  heard  this,  hastened  to  Calvin  to  comfort 
him.    As  she  neared  death,  only  one  thing  seemed  to 


Calvin  s  Wife,  Idelette  D'Bures.  29 

trouble  her — her  children  of  her  former  marriage  to 
Storder.  Calvin,  seeing  she  was  troubled,  divining 
the  reason,  promised  to  treat  them  just  as  if  they 
were  his  own  children.  At  which  she  said,  ''I  have 
already  commended  them  to  the  Lord,  but  I  know 
well  that  thou  wilt  not  abandon  those  whom  I  have 
confided  to  the  Lord/^  This  last  worldly  care  having 
been  cast  off  her  mind,  she  calmly  waited  for  death. 
Although  suffering  very  much,  her  face  revealed  the 
sweetness  of  the  peace  that  reigned  within.  Her 
pastor  Borgonius,  who  visited  her  on  the  evening 
of  April  6,  speaks  of  her  simplicity  of  faith  and  ele- 
vation of  hope  as  truly  edifying.  "O  glorious  resur- 
rection,'' she  exclaimed  while  he  was  speaking,  and 
again,  "O  God  of  Abraham  and  of  all  our  fathers, 
the  faithful  in  all  generations  have  trusted  in  Thee, 
and  none  have  ever  been  confounded.  I,  too,  trust  in 
Thee  from  time  to  time."  At  six  o'clock  she  said, 
as  her  friends  had  moved  her  to  another  bed  and  she 
was  feeling  very  weak,  "'Pray,  my  friends;  pray  for 
me."  Calvin  drew  closer  to  her ;  she  still  recognized 
him;  he  spoke  to  her  of  the  grace  of  Christ  and  of 
that  strength  which  was  made  perfect  in  weakness. 
He  reminded  her — though  his  voice  faltered  in  do- 
ing so — of  the  blessed  eternity  of  joy  upon  which 
she  was  about  to  enter.    And  then  he  prayed  with 


30  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

her,  commending  her  to  Him  in  whom  both  believed. 
About  9  o'clock  (April  5,  1549)  she  ceased  to 
breathe,  but  so  peacefully  did  she  pass  away  that 
for  some  moments  the  watchers  by  her  bedside  were 
uncertain  whether  she  slept  or  was  dead. 

Calvin,  writing  of  her  to  Farel  and  Viret,  says  of 
her :  "I  have  lost  her  who  would  never  have  quitted 
me  either  in  exile,  or  misery,  or  death.  She  was  a 
precious  help  to  me,  and  never  occupied  with  self. 
The  best  of  partners  has  been  taken  from  me.''  And 
seven  years  later,  when  writing  to  Valeville,  the 
French  pastor  at  Frankford,  who  had  lost  his  wife, 
he  says,  "I  know  from  my  own  experience  how  pain- 
ful and  burning  are  the  wounds  which  the  death  of 
an  excellent  wife  causes.  How  hard  it  has  been  to 
become  master  of  my  sorrows."  Calvin,  although 
duties  pressed  on  him  more  than  ever,  never  forgot 
Idelette — never  for  a  moment  thought  of  filling  her 
place  by  marrying  again.  And  when  he  pronounced 
her  name,  his  tone  and  meaning  revealed  how  dear 
she  was  to  him.  If  her  husband,  who  knew  her  best, 
could  thus  revere  and  honor  her,  it  becomes  us  to 
honor  her  memory  as  one  of  the  truest  and  most 
devoted  of  the  wives  of  the  reformers — a  fit 
companion  to  Catharine  Von  Bora,  Luther's  wife, 
and  Anna  Reinhard,  Zwingli's  wife. 


III. 

ANNA   BULLINGER. 

BWO  women  of  the  Reformed  Church  of  the 
Reformation  have  been  almost  forgotten, 
and  yet  stand  out  as  pre-eminently  worthy 
of  notice,  for  they  were  the  Marthas  of  their  day. 
Just  as  Martha  was  busy  preparing  a  proper  recep- 
tion of  Christ  in  her  home,  so  these  women,  as  they 
could  not  receive  Christ  personally  into  their  homes 
like  Martha,  busied  themselves  greatly, in  receiv- 
ing Christ's  followers,  and  in  receiving  them,  re- 
ceived Him.  They  were  the  wife  of  Zell,  the  first 
reformer  of  Strasburg,  who  received  Bucer,  Calvin, 
Farel  and  many  more  into  her  home,  and  Anna  Bul- 
linger.  Their  homes  became  in  reality  hotels,  where 
the  Protestant  refugees  found  safety  and  a  most 
kindly  reception. 

Anna  Bullingers  maiden  name  was  Adlisch- 
weiler.  The  date  of  her  birth  we  do  not  know,  but 
it  was  probably  1504.  Her  father  died  in  battle 
when  she  was  only  eight  years  old.  Her  mother, 
thinking  in  her  Romish  blindness  to  do  God  a  ser- 
vice, afterwards  took  her  daughter  and  gave  her  to 
the  Church  by  placing  her  in  the  cloister  at  Oeden- 

31 


32  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

bach,  at  Zurich,  where  she  became  a  nun.  And  as 
the  mother  herself  was  sick  with  dropsy  and  desired 
to  be  near  her  daughter,  she  boarded  there,  too.  But 
while  they  were  thus  quietly  living  in  the  cloister, 
strange  things  were  happening  outside  of  it  in 
Zurich.  The  Reformation  had  come.  Zwingli's 
preaching  had  won  the  town,  and  the  Gospel  was 
preached  in  the  churches,  until  there  was  but  one 
place  in  the  town  where  it  was  not  heard,  and  that 
was  the  nunnery  at  Oedenbach.  Finally  the  city 
council  of  Zurich,  unwilling  that  of  all  the  inhabi- 
tants of  the  town  the  nuns  there  should  be  the  only 
ones  shut  out  from  hearing  a  Gospel  sermon,  or- 
dered Zwingli  in  1522  to  go  and  preach  in  the  nun- 
nery.  This  call  he  obeyed  with  great  joy, 
and  he  preached  a  remarkable  and  impressive 
sermon  on  "The  Clearness  and  Certainty  of 
the  Word  of  God."  This  sermon  had  a 
double  effect.  Some  of  the  nuns  were  won  by 
it  to  the  Gospel,  but  others  became  very  bit- 
ter against  it.  As  a  very  bitter  strife  now  broke  out 
in  the  nunnery  between  the  adherents  and  opponents 
of  Zwingli,  the  city  council  at  last  felt  itself  com- 
pelled to  forbid  the  Dominicans,  who  before  had 
been  the  spiritual  guides  of  the  cloister,  to  enter  it, 


Anna  Bui  linger.  33 

and* ordered  Zwingli  and  Leo  Juda  to  take  the  spir- 
itual care  of  the  inmates.  Against  this  the  monks 
and  some  of  the  sisters  protested,  but  in  vain.  The 
council  then  gave  orders,  allowing  any  of  the  nuns, 
who  so  desired,  to  leave  and  to  take  their  property 
and  clothing  with  them.  Many  of  them  took  ad- 
vantage of  this,  and  some  who  left  married.  Those 
who  desired  to  remain,  were  permitted  to  do  so,  but 
were  not  allowed  to  wear  nun's  garb.  Soon  Anna 
was  the  only  nun  remaining  in  the  nunnery,  except 
one  aged  sister.  And  she  would  not  have  remained 
(for  she  had  been  won  by  Zwingli's  preaching), 
but  for  the  sake  of  her  sick  mother. 

Now  it  happened  that  Leo  Juda,  who  was  chap- 
lain of  the  nunnery,  took  with  him  one  day  young 
Henry  Bullinger,  who  was  on  a  visit  to  him.  Bul- 
linger's  heart  was  touched  by  the  tender  influence 
of  love,  and  he  wrote  her  a  marriage  proposal.  His 
letter  to  her  is  still  extant  as  the  first  love  letter  of 
the  Reformers.  This  letter  is  a  long  one,*  cov- 
ering fourteen  and  a  half  printed  pages,  and  for 
candor  and  Christian  love  it  might  well  be  a  model 
to  all  who  desire  to  make  marriage  proposals  (ex- 

*See  "Heinrich  Bullinger  und  seine  Gattin,"  by  Chris- 
toffel,  page  21. 


34  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

cept  that  it  is  too  long) .  In  it  he  describes  his  phys- 
ical condition  and  his  means,  and  eloquently  sums 
it  up  by  saying,  "But  why  are  many  words  neces- 
sary !  The  sum  of  it  all  is,  that  the  greatest,  surest 
treasure  that  you  will  find  in  me,  is  fear  of  God, 
piety,  fidelity  and  love,  which  with  joy  I  will  show 
you,  and  labor,  earnestness  and  industry,  which  will 
not  be  wanting  in  temporal  things.  Concerning 
high  nobility  and  many  thousand  gulden,  I  can  say 
nothing  to  you.  But  I  know  that  what  is  necessary 
to  us,  will  not  be  wanting.  For  Paul  says,  'We 
brought  nothing  into  the  world,  and  we  will  take 
nothing  out.  Therefore,  if  we  have  clothing  and 
food  it  is  enough.^ " 

Ten  days  after  she  received  his  proposal,  Bul- 
linger  received  her  reply,  which  was  in  the  affirma- 
tive. But  as  her  mother  was  opposed  to  the  mar- 
riage, and  moreover  was  quite  sick,  Anna  desired 
the  marriage  to  be  postponed,  so  that  she  could  stay 
at  the  nunnery  with  her  mother.  Meanwhile  Bul- 
linger  utilized  the  time  by  preparing  her  by  care- 
ful teaching  for  her  future  position  as  his  wife.  He, 
therefore  wrote  a  small  book  entitled,  ''Concerning 
Female  Training,  and  How  a  Daughter  Should 
Guide  Her  Conduct  and  Life."    Her  mother  having 


Anna  Bullinger.  35 

died,  they  were  married  in  1529.  During  the  pre- 
vious year  Bullinger  had  been  licensed  by  the  Zurich 
Synod  as  a  minister,  and  had  accepted  the  pastorate 
at  Bremgarten,  where  his  father  had  been  pastor. 
Two  daughters  were  born  to  them  there,  and  great 
was  their  joy.  But  it  was  soon  turned  into  sorrow. 
For  the  defeat  of  Zurich  at  Cappel,  on  October  11, 
1 53 1,  (in  the  battle  where  Zwingli  fell)  made  it 
dangerous  for  them,  especially  for  Bullinger,  as 
the  Romish  armies  had  little  mercy  for  Protestant 
ministers.  So  on  the  night  of  November  20  Bul- 
linger fled  from  Bremgarten,  together  with  his  aged 
father  and  brother.  They  had  hardly  left  the  town, 
Vv'hen  the  Catholic  soldiers  entered  it  and  plundered 
Bullinger's  house,  and  quartered  thirty  soldiers  on 
Anna,  who  with  the  two  little  children  had  been  left 
behind.  She  saw  she  could  not  provide  for  them, 
so  she  determined  to  flee,  too.  Now  she  had  as  her 
servant  a  woman,  who  because  of  her  faithfulness 
has  become  a  historical  character.  Her  name  was 
Brigette.  She  had  served  the  family  for  many 
years,  not  for  money,  but  for  love,  for  her  yearly 
Vx^ages  were  four  gulden  (about  two  dollars)  and 
a  pair  of  shoes,  and  yet  for  this  she  served  the 
family  for  thirty-five  years.    Anna,  leaving  the  care 


36  Women  of  the  Reformed  Chinch. 

of  the  house  to  this  faithful  servant,  fled  with  hei 
two  children,  one  a  year  and  a  half  old,  the  other 
only  six  months  old.  When  she  came  to  the  gate 
of  the  town,  she  found  it  closed  and  the  guard  was 
unwilling  to  open  it.  But  nerved  by  a  mother's 
superhuman  strength,  she  wrested  the  key  from 
him  by  force,  and  opened  it  and  fled.  Great  was  the 
joy  of  her  husband,  who  was  at  Zurich,  when  she 
arrived  safely  with  her  little  children,  and  glad 
were  they  to  find  a  refuge  at  Zurich. 

But  they  were  still  not  perfectly  safe,  for  after  the 
defeat  of  Cappel  and  the  death  of  Zwingli,  there  had 
come  a  reaction  in  Zurich,  which  had  become  so 
strong  that  Leo  Juda,  Zwingli's  closest  friend,  was 
afraid  to  go  out,  and  his  wife  trembled  for  his  life. 
The  church  at  Zurich  was  looking  for  a  successor 
to  Zwingli.  Bullinger's  friends,  Leo  Juda  and  My- 
conius  prevailed  on  Bullinger  to  preach  in  the  ca- 
thedral. And  so  able  and  eloquent  was  his  sermon 
that  the  people  said  he  was  a  Zwingli  risen  from 
the  dead.  The  city  of  Zurich,  finding  he  had  calls 
to  Basle,  Bern  and  Appenzell,  hastened  to  elect  him, 
although  he  was  only  twenty-seven  years  old.  Great 
was  the  honor  shown  him,  but  also  great  was  the 
responsibility.      His    new    position    brought    much 


Anna  Bullinger.  37 

honor  to  his  wife  but  also  many  new  cares.  Not 
merely  did  her  family  grow  almost  yearly  by  the 
birth  of  a  child  until  they  numbered  eleven,  but  as 
the  wife  of  the  head  of  the  church,  she  had  to  receive 
and  entertain  many  strangers  in  her  house.  Thus 
BuUinger's  father  and  mother  lived  with  them  till 
they  died.  Bullinger  also  with  great  kindness  took 
into  his  home  the  wife  and  children  of  his  prede- 
cessor, ZwingH,  and  cared  for  them  as  he  cared  for 
his  own  family.  He  also  received  into  his  house 
young  Rudolph  Gualther  and  educated  him.  It  was 
a  kindness  worthily  bestowed,  for  Gualther  after- 
wards became  his  successor  as  antistes.  For  Bul- 
linger was  fond  of  young  men,  and  when  he  found 
one  of  bright  mind  and  spiritual  inclinations,  he  at 
his  own  cost  reared  and  educated  him.  Thus  in 
addition  to  Gualther  he  took  Henry  Lavater  and 
Josiah  Simler  and  others,  and  in  1531  two  Polish 
boys  with  their  tutor  into  his  family.  Thus  Anna 
BuUinger's  family  became  very  large  and  her  cares 
many.  And  the  wonder  is  that  on  the  small  salary 
of  700  pounds  she  was  able  to  do  it."^    Hence  great 

*It  is  true  Bullinger  had  the  interest  of  700,  which  he 
inherited,  and  of  his  wife's  estate  of  2600 — 3300  in  all. 
This  at  6  per  cent,  interest  would  bring  in  198,  say  200, 
more.  This  would  make  his  income  only  900  pounds  in 
all. 


38  J V omen  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

economy  was  necessary  to  feed  and  clothe  so  many 
in  the  family.  Very  characteristic  was  the  letter 
Bullinger  wrote  to  his  oldest  son  at  Strasburg, 
December  20,  1553,  "Your  mother  makes  big  eyes 
when  you  already  speak  of  needing  another  pair  of 
shoes  for  the  winter.  It  is  hardly  fifteen  weeks  since 
you  left  us,  when  you  took  three  pairs  with  you,  the 
red,  the  gray  and  black.  At  this  rate  you  will  need 
six  pairs  a  year.  I  have  more  than  enough  with 
two.^^  But  Bullinger  afterwards  gives  his  son  the 
advice,  "Do  not  let  your  shoes  go  to  pieces,  but  get 
them  mended  in  time.^'  And  three  months  after  he 
praises  his  son  for  his  economy.  On  his  small  salary 
Bullinger  could  not  have  provided  for  all  in  his 
house  had  Anna  not  guided  the  household,  with  her 
economy.  Anna  could  not  have  borne  all  the  cares 
had  not  BuUinger's  mother  aided  her.  And  Brigette, 
too,  greatly  helped  her,  as  brigette  had  become  more 
of  a  household  companion  than  a  servant,  for  Bul- 
linger in  writing  to  his  son  Henry  in  1556,  at  vStras- 
burg,  says,  ''Your  five  sisters  greet  you,  and  especi- 
ally Brigette,  who  sends  to  you  a  present  of  three 
groschen."  Brigette  might  well  be  called  the  model 
servant  of  the  Reformation.  Little  did  she  think 
that  she  would  be  spoken  of  350  years  after  her  ten- 


Anna  Bullinger.  39 

der  ministry  in  Bullinger's  home;  but  her  faithful- 
ness is  worthy  of  it,  and  her  Hfe  shows  how  one  in  a 
lowly  position,  only  a  servant  girl,  can  gain  a  great 
reward  by  simple  faithfulness,  serving  not  for 
money  but  for  love. 

Thus  Bullinger  assisted  by  his  wife  was  able  to  do 
much  with  little  money.  Nor  were  these  things  all 
the  cares  that  came  to  Anna.  Her  house  was  not 
only  a  home  to  the  homeless,  but  became  virtually 
a  sort  of  hotel,  for  to  it  came  the  refugees  of  every 
land.  Zurich  was  an  asylum  to  the  persecuted  Re- 
formed of  other  lands.  This  was  due  to  the  great 
friendliness  of  Bullinger  to  the  refugees.  First  in 
1542  came  the  Italian  Reformed,  driven  out  by  the 
persecutions  of  the  inquisition,  Peter  Martyr,  Ber- 
nard Ochino,  Celio  Curione,  all  scholarly,  eloquent 
men.  Curione  writes  a  letter  of  thanks,  in  which  he 
calls  Bullinger  a  bishop  according  to  the  description 
of  a  bishop  given  by  the  apostle  Paul,  and  says, 
''Your  friendliness  and  your  Christian  care  for  us 
during  our  stay  with  you  obliges  me  to  gfive  you 
my  inmost  thanks.  Greet  for  us  very  heartily  your 
wife,  who  showed  herself  so  full  of  kindly  service 
and  love."  Then  came  the  refugees  from  Locarno, 
on  the  southern  borders  of  Switzerland.     Beccaria 


40  IVomen  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

had  there  founded  a  Reformed  church,  and  it  had 
grown  to  two  hundred  members.  Their  prosperity 
incited  their  Catholic  neighbors  against  them,  and 
it  was  decided  November  24,  1555,  that  all  who 
would  not  return  to  the  Romish  faith  must  leave. 
So  March  3,  1556,  they  fled  over  the  snowy  Alps, 
and  one  hundred  and  sixteen  in  number  arrived  at 
Zurich  May  12.  There  they  were  gladly  received 
by  the  people,  and  especially  by  Bullinger.  He  and 
his  wife  set  the  example  and  led  the  way.  Great 
was  her  care  and  anxiety  for  those  refugees,  vvlio 
had  left  all  for  the  Gospel's  sake.  And  when  the 
fires  of  persecution  broke  out  in  England  in  1550 
under  bloody  Mary,  Bullinger  and  the  Zurich 
church  gladly  received  them.  Even  before  that,  as 
early  as  1536,  Cranmer,  the  archbishop  of  Canter- 
bury, had  sent  three  young  men  to  be  educated  at 
Zurich,  one  of  whom  Bullinger  took  into  his  own 
house,  and  the  next  year  he  took  another.  When 
they  left,  they  kept  up  correspondence  with  him, 
and  one  of  them.  Partridge,  again  and  again  ex- 
pressed his  thankfulness  to  Bullinger  and  to  his 
wife,  who  had  become  a  mother  to  him.  In  1546 
Hooper,  later  bishop  and  martyr  of  the  Church  of 
England,  came  to  Zurich,  and  was  received  by  Bui- 


Anna  Biillinger.  41 

linger  in  his  own  home,  where  he  had  a  daughter 
baptized  by  Biillinger.  After  his  return  to  Eng- 
land, he  wrote  to  BuUinger,  expressing  his  great 
thankfulness  to  him  and  his  wife  for  their  hospi- 
tality. When  the  Marian  persecution  broke  out  in 
England,  Bullinger's  table  was  often  filled  with 
refugees,  and  his  wife  often  had  great  care  and 
anxiety  to  know  what  to  do  with  them,  or  how  to 
provide  for  them.  Zurich  founded  a  school  for 
them  to  educate  twelve  English  students  as  minis- 
ters, of  whom  five  afterwards  became  bishops.  All 
of  them  afterwards  expressed  the  greatest  thankful- 
ness to  BuUinger  and  his  wife  for  the  kindness  they 
had  received  at  their  house.  They  also  sent  presents 
to  Zurich,  as  a  return  for  kindnesses  shown.  There 
are  still  at  Zurich  three  large  polished  silver  goblets, 
which  three  of  these  returned  bishops.  Jewel,  Horn 
and  Parkhurst,  presented  to  the  church  of  Zurich. 
And  there  is  also  a  goblet  of  fine  workmanship, 
which  Queen  Elizabeth  presented  to  BuUinger  as  a 
token  of  her  thanks.  Nor  were  these  all  the  refu- 
gees entertained  by  BuUinger  and  his  family.  When 
the  wars  in  Germany  went  against  the  Protestants, 
some  of  them  found  refuge  at  Zurich,  as  Musculu? 
and   CeUarius.     Musculus,   in  a  letter  from  Bern, 


42  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

afterwards  thanks  Bullinger  for  his  hospitality,  and 
also  Bullinger's  wife  for  the  comfort  of  her  letter 
to  his  wife. 

Thus  Bullinger's  wife  was  a  ministering  angel  to 
the  refugees.  Many  were  her  cares  and  responsi- 
bilities, to  which  all  these  bear  witness.  In  addition 
to  these  refugees  there  came  many  prominent  for- 
eign visitors,  as  Calvin  and  Farel  from  Geneva,  also 
Bucer  and  Capito  from  Strasburg,  among  theolo- 
gians, Portalis,  the  ambassador  of  the  king  of  Na- 
varre, the  noble  families  of  Wurtemburg  and 
Schaumburg,  who  were  refugees.  All  these  were 
for  a  time  entertained  by  Bullinger's  family,  or  in 
social  relations  with  it.  And  not  only  to  foreigners 
was  Bullinger's  home  a  refuge  for  foreigners,  but 
also  to  the  poor  at  home.  Thus  Fabricius,  the  re- 
former of  Chur,  tells  of  a  distant  relative,  who 
found  herself  poor  and  helpless  at  Zurich,  and  was 
taken  by  Bullinger  to  his  own  home  and  kept  there 
for  a  time  as  a  member  of  it.  A  continual  stream  of 
beautiful  gifts  flowed  through  the  hand  of  Anna 
Bullinger  to  the  huts  of  the  poor  and  stilled  many 
a  grief.  She  provided  the  needy  sick  with  food, 
drink,  clothing,  money,  in  fact  everything  necessary. 
She  joined  with  the  leading  ladies  of  Zurich,  the 


Anna  Bulling er.  43 


wives  of  ministers,  as  of    Leo  Juda,  Pellican,  Peter 
Martyr  and  others,  in  these  labors  of  love.     Is  it 
any  wonder,  in  view  of  all  these  things,  that  she 
was  known  at  Zurich  by  the  name,  so  descriptive  of 
her  character,  of  "mother/^     And  in  foreign  lands, 
by  English,  Italians,  Dutch  and  Germans,  she  was 
known  and  addressed  by  the  title  of  "Zurich-mo- 
ther/'    A  good  Samaritan  was  she  till  her  end  in 
1564.     Then  her  husband  sickened  of  the  plague, 
so  that  all  thought  he  must  die.     During  his  sick- 
ness Anna,  forgetful  of  self,  nursed  him  so  that  he 
got  well.     But  it  was  at  the  cost  of  her  own  life. 
For  as  he  recovered,  she  sickened  and  died.     Great 
was  the  sorrow  in  Zurich  for  her.     And  her  mem- 
ory remains  for  the  Reformed  as  a  beautiful  inspi- 
ration for  deeds  of  love  and  charity.     "Blessed  are 
the  dead  that  die  in  the  Lord  from  henceforth.    Yea, 
saith  the  Spirit,  that  they  may  rest  from  their  labors, 
and  their  works  do  follow  them.^' 


Chapter  II.— GERMANY. 
I. 

CATHARINE  ZELL. 

MONG  the  Reformed  women  of  the  Refor- 
mation none  deserves  greater  credit  than 
the  subject  of  this  sketch.  She  had  her 
fauhs,  it  is  true, — who  has  not, — but  her  faults  were 
rather  the  excess  of  her  virtues  than  anything  else, 
for  she  was  intense  in  her  character.  And  she  ex- 
celled all  in  being  a  mother  to  all  refugees,  and  with 
her  warm  heart  welcoming  them  to  her  house, 
which  became  a  veritable  "hotel"  to  them  all  her 
life. 

Catharine  Schutz  (for  such  was  her  maiden 
name)  was  born  in  1497  in  Strasburg.  She  came 
from  a  prominent  artisan  family,  and  fortunately 
received  from  her  parents  an  excellent  education, 
which  she  was  careful  to  use  afterwards  to  aid  her 
beloved  faith.  During  her  girlhood  and  school-days 
many  changes  were  taking  place  at  Strasburg. 
Gradually  the  doctrines  of  the  Reformation  were 
leavening  the  people.  About  15 18  Matthew  Zell 
was  called  to  be  the  preacher  at  the  great  cathedral 
there,   and   he   soon   began   preaching  the    Gospel. 

45 


46  IV omen  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

This  caused  a  great  excitement.  The  Romish  arch- 
bishop, under  whose  care  the  cathedral  was,  refused 
to  allow  him  to  enter  the  pulpit  any  more.  So  as 
the  pulpit  was  locked  against  him,  his  friends  made 
for  him  a  wooden  pulpit,  which  they  would  carry 
into  the  church  whenever  he  was  to  preach,  and 
from  it  he  preached  to  crowds  which  filled  that  vast 
church.  As  a  result  the  city  became  largely  Pro- 
testant under  his  preaching.  Among  his  hearers 
was  his  future  wife,  Catharine  Schutz,  who  readily 
accepted  his  doctrines  with  all  the  earnestness  of  hei 
warm-hearted  nature.  She  was  married  to  Zell  De- 
cember 3,  1525.  Martin  Bucer,  who  was  a  later 
reformer  at  Strasburg  than  Zell  (who  was  the  first 
reformer  of  that  city),  married  them.  And  at  the 
close  of  the  marriage  ceremony  they  celebrated  the 
Lord's  Supper  in  the  great  cathedral  after  the  Re- 
formed manner.  That  immense  building  was  filled 
mainly  with  men,  who  thus  showed  by  their  presence 
their  approval  of  the  marriage  of  a  priest  like  Zell. 
She  proved  to  be  a  pious,  busy,  discreet  wife,  in 
the  fullest  sympathy  with  her  husband.  For  this 
unity  of  feeling  between  them  she  often  thanked 
God,  and  spoke  of  her  husband  and  of  herself  fre- 
quently as  "being  of  one  mind  and  one  soul."    She 


Catharine  Zell.  47 

says :  ''What  bound  us  together  was  not  silver  and 
gold.  Both  of  us  possessed  a  higher  thing,  'Christ 
was  the  mark  before  our  eyes/  "  As  she  was  well 
educated,  her  progress  in  the  Bible  gave  her  a  deep 
knowledge  of  religion.  Endowed  with  rare  courage 
and  great  natural  eloquence,  she  understood  how  to 
defend  her  views  by  word,  and  even  by  pen  if  nec- 
essary. Her  great  aim  was  to  spread  abroad  the 
Gospel.  Sometimes  it  seemed  as  if  she  outdid  her 
husband  in  this,  so  that  he  seemed  to  be  placed  in  the 
background,  and  Bucer  could  shruggingly  say  that 
he  was  ruled  by  his  wife.  Yet  Bucer  himself  bears 
witness  that  she  was  "as  God-fearing  and  coura- 
geous as  a  hero."  She  herself  says  she  wanted  to  be 
only  the  helpmeet  of  her  husband,  and  a  "little  piece 
of  the  rib  of  the  sainted  Matthew  Zell." 

Her  correspondence  became  quite  large,  and  in  it 
she  excelled.  Soon  after  her  marriage  she  came 
into  correspondence  with  Luther.  She  exchanged 
letters  with  Zwingli,  and  later  with  Bullinger,  as 
well  as  Luther.  She  also  filled  her  life  full  of  good 
deeds,  as  caring  for  the  sick  and  needy.  iVnd  in  this 
respect  she  excelled  in  caring  for  the  refugees  who 
fled  to  Strasburg  because  of  persecution  for  their 
faith.    She  says :  "I  have  already  in  the  beginning  of 


48  IVoiiien  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

my  marriage  received  many  excellent  and  learned 
people  in  their  flight,  and  comforted  them  as  God 
has  said :  'Support  and  strengthen  the  weak  knees/  '^ 
When  fifteen  excellent  men  had  to  flee  from  Baden 
for  conscience's  sake,  among. them  an  old  and  learn- 
ed man  named  Doctor  Mantel,  Zell  took  him  into  his 
house  and  gave  him  a  home.  After  this  kindly  re- 
ception Mantel  again  fell  into  the  hands  of  the 
Catholics,  and  lay  for  four  years  in  prison,  during 
which  time  his  memories  of  Catharine  ZelFs  kind- 
ness were  a  benediction  to  him.  In  1524,  150  citizens 
in  one  night  were  driven  out  of  the  little  village  of 
Kenzingen  in  Breisgau,  and  came  to  Strasburg. 
Zell  received  eighty  of  them  into  his  house,  and  Mrs. 
Zell  kindly  cared  for  them,  feeding  fifty  or  sixty  for 
four  weeks.  She  was  continually  busy  in  caring  for 
such  refugees,  either  herself,  or  by  getting  others  to 
do  it.  Zell  delighted  in  these  labors  of  love  of  his 
wife.  Many,  very  many  were  the  refugees  who  re- 
ceived a  warm  welcome  in  their  house.  Among 
them  Heilandt,  of  Calw,  in  Wurtemberg,  who 
stayed  there  until  he  found  a  position  at  Strasburg. 
When  in  1543  a  number  of  poor  scholars  happened 
to  gather  together  there,  she  was  unwearied  in 
getting    supper    for    them.      She    took    up    collec- 


Catharine  Zell.  49 

tions  for  them  and  aided  in  housing  them  in 
the  WilHams  cloister.  Tlius  she  entertained 
many  of  the  greatest  reformers  who  came  as 
refugees.  When  Bucer,  the  greatest  reformer 
of  Strasburg,  came  fleeing  from  Weissenburg, 
he  found  a  home  and  a  refuge  in  Mrs.  ZelFs 
house.  And  again,  when  Calvin  came  fleeing 
from  France,  having  had  all  his  money  stolen  on  the 
w^ay,  it  was  Mrs.  Zell  who  gave  him  a  warm  wel- 
come at  her  fireside.  A  peculiarly  brilliant  period  of 
her  life  was  the  year  1529,  when  the  conference  be- 
tween Luther  and  Zwingli  at  Marburg  brought  so 
many  distinguished  reformers  to  Strasburg.  Like 
busy  Martha  of  old,  who  entertained  her  Saviour 
with  the  best  at  Bethany,  she  exerted  herself  to  en- 
tertain these  noble  followers  of  Christ.  She  said: 
"I  have  been  for  fourteen  days  maid  and  cook  while 
the  dear  men  Ecolampadius  and  Zwingli  were  here.'' 
Her  husband  was  inclined  rather  to  quietness  and 
peace,  although  he  was  not  wanting  in  courage  for 
the  truth,  as  his  boldness  in  being  the  first  preacher 
of  Protestantism  in  Strasburg  shows.  Still,  while 
he  was  inclined  to  quietness  in  the  controversies  that 
raged  around  him  among  the  Protestants,  she  was 
inclined  to  be  controversial,  and  wielded  her  pen 


50  IV omen  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

for  the  truth  and  for  peace  wherever  she  felt  it  was 
needed.  She  even  wrote  to  Luther,  asking  him  to 
treat  the  Swiss  with  a  little  more  mildness  in  the 
controversy  about  the  Lord's  Supper.  Luther  re- 
plied to  her  quite  politely  and  more  mildly.  After 
the  Wittenberg  Concord  of  1536  had  brought  peace 
between  Luther  and  the  Swiss,  Zell  took  a  journey 
to  Wittenberg,  accompanied  by  his  wife,  of  which 
trip  she  speaks  in  glowing  terms.  But  while  she 
was  staunch  for  the  truth,  she  was  very  liberal  in 
her  sympathies  even  toward  the  Schwenkfelders  and 
Anabaptists.  When  Schwenkfeld,  a  Silesian  noble- 
man, came  as  a  refugee  to  Strasburg  in  1528,  he  was 
received  with  kindness  into  her  house.  And  when 
the  younger  ministers  of  Strasburg  attacked  him  for 
his  theological  errors,  she  defended  him  in  a  public 
letter.  They  in  reply  reproached  "Mrs.  Doctor 
Catharine,''  as  they  called  her,  ''with  mental  vagaries 
and  obstinacy,"  and  advised  her,  "rather  to  spin  at 
the  distaff  and  wait  on  the  sick"  than  to  engage  in 
theological  conflicts,  which  belonged  rather  to  the 
clergy.  Even  after  Schwenkfeld  had  been  com- 
pelled to  leave  Strasburg,  she  remained  in  corres- 
pondence with  him. 

She  was  the  author  of  a  number  of  works.     As 


Catharine  Zell.  5^ 

early  as  1524  she  defended  ZelFs  conversion  to 
Protestantism,  and  later  his  marriage  to  her.  In  that 
year,  too,  she  published  a  work  of  comfort,  "to  her 
persecuted  sisters  of  the  congregation  at  Kenzing- 
en,'^  whose  husbands  had  been  driven  away  by  the 
Austrians  and  had  fled  to  Strasburg.  In  1534  she 
wrote  an  introduction  to  a  hymnbook.  Her  great 
labors  aged  her.  However,  she  was  still  vigorous 
when  the  Lord  called  away  her  husband  by  death, 
January  9,  1548.  On  the  last  night  of  his  life  he 
called  her  to  him  and  told  her  to  give  his  last  mes- 
sage to  his  assistant  pastors,  and  ask  them  "to  leave 
the  Anabaptists  and  Schwenkfelders  in  peace,  and 
to  preach  Christ  rather  than  persecute  them."  It 
happened  that  the  day  of  Zell's  funeral  was  the  day 
when  the  citizens  renewed  their  oath  to  the  city  and 
elected  their  magistrates,  and  so  three  thousand 
men  followed  her  husband  to  his  grave.  After 
Bucer  had  preached  the  funeral  sermon  and  most  of 
the  people  had  gone  home,  she  made  an  address  to 
the  intimate  friends,  in  which  she  spoke  of  the  pious 
labors  of  her  husband  and  gave  them  his  last  words 
of  love,  urging  them  to  peace,  and  to  leave  the  Ana- 
baptists and  Schwenkfelders  alone.  The  magis- 
trates, out  of  respect  to  her  husband,  allowed  her  to 


52  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

remain  living  in  the  large  parsonage  of  the  cathe- 
dral, which  she,  as  "mother  of  the  Reformers"  (as 
she  was  called),  had  consecrated  by  making  it  so 
often  a  spiritual  asylum  for  refugees. 

Then  came  sad  days  for  her,  when  the  Emperor 
tried  to  introduce  the  Interim  (1547)  with  its  Rom- 
ish rites.  She  wrote  a  book,  in  which  she  bewailed 
this  condition  of  affairs,  and  implored  Strasburg  to 
remain  true  to  Christ  and  give  up  the  Pope.  With 
the  death  of  Zell  and  the  departure  of  Bucer  for 
England,  matters  changed  very  much  in  Strasburg. 
Lutheranism  was  introduced.  She  had  received 
into  her  home  her  husband^s  successor,  Rabus,  who 
became  the  most  popular  preacher  of  the  city.  He, 
although  he  had  been  trained  in  Zell's  family,  now 
began  to  attack  the  low  Reformed  views  and 
customs,  and  to  urge  the  introduction  of  high 
Lutheran  methods.  Mrs.  Zell  was  not  the  woman 
to  keep  silent  when  her  husband's  acts  and  views 
were  thus  attacked,  and  she  wrote  against  him.  She 
therefore  becomes  the  great  zvoman  defender  of  the 
Reformed  views  in  the  Reformation.  Rabus  an- 
swered her  in  1557  from  Ulm,  where  he  was  sta- 
tioned. She  replied  in  a  letter  to  the  whole  citizen- 
ship of  Strasburg.    Her  language  was  quite  severe 


Catharine  Zell.  53 

and  her  defence  eloquent.  She  continued  to  be  the 
refuge  of  the  persecuted  of  all  denominations.  Thus 
in  1549,  when  Bucer  and  Fagius  left  Strasburg  for 
London,  as  they  bade  her  good-bye,  they  left  in  her 
hand  two  gold  pieces,  with  the  request  that  they  be 
used  for  the  refugees,  if  found  necessary.  This 
was  a  beautiful  tribute  from  these  great  reformers 
to  her  kindness  to  the  refugees.  In  her  reply  to 
them,  she  says  she  felt  like  doing  to  them  what  Jo- 
seph did  to  his  brethren — return  the  money.  She 
then,  however,  stated  that  a  case  had  come  to  her 
notice  of  a  persecuted  minister  with  five  children, 
and  also  another,  of  a  minister's  wife,  before  whose 
eyes  the  husband  had  been  beheaded,  both  of  them 
very  needy.  To  these  she  had  given  one  of  the  gold 
pieces,  and  the  other  she  returned  to  them,  think- 
ing that  they  might  need  it  themselves,  as  they 
would  probably  need  much  when  they  came  to  Eng- 
land. Thus  she  continued  her  labors  of  love  till  she 
died.  The  date  of  her  death  is  not  exactly  known. 
She  was  living  March  3,  1562,  for  then  she  sent  an 
apology  to  Lewis  Lavater,  of  Zurich,  for  not  an- 
swering his  letter,  because  she  said  "she  was  often 
half  dead  with  her  long  sickness,  and  could  not  hold 


54  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

the  pen."     How   soon   after   that   she   died   is  not 
known. 

Such  was  the  Hfe  and  testimony  of  one  of  the 
foremost  women  of  the  Reformed  Church  in  Refor- 
mation days.  She  is  worthy  of  more  notice  than  the 
silence  of  the  past  has  given  to  her.  Indeed,  she 
may  be  said  to  deserve  the  title  of  the  "Woman  Re- 
former of  the  Reformed  Church"  better  than  any 
other  woman,  except  perhaps,  Margaret  Blaarer. 
For  the  wives  of  the  other  leading  reformers,  as 
Anna  Zwingli  and  Anna  Bullinger,  lived  quiet  lives 
or  busied  themselves  mainly  with  their  household 
duties.  Idelette  Calvin  is  almost  unknown,  because 
she  is  hidden  behind  her  great  husband.  But  Cath- 
arine Zell  stands  out  prominently,  both  by  her  life 
and  writings.  She  seems  to  have  been  the  equal  of 
her  husband  in  ability,  and  had  even  greater  energy. 
While  she  excelled  in  the  management  of  her  home 
and  made  it  a  delightful  refuge  for  all  suffering 
refugees,  yet  with  her  pen  she  defended  her  opinions 
also.  Her  defence  of  the  Reformed  against  the 
Lutherans  endears  her  to  all  women  of  the  Re- 
formed Church.  She  was  a  female  theologian  in  the 
best  sense  of  that  word,  a  true  Reformed,  a  warm- 
hearted woman,  and  a  pious  Christian. 


II. 

MARGARET  BLAARER. 

|kT  lOT  only  were  the  wives  of  the  reformers  a 
~^J  great  aid  to  the  Reformation,  but  their  sis- 
^^9  ters  also.  We  have  an  illustration  of  this 
in  Margaret  Blaarer  the  sister  of  Ambrose  Blaarer, 
the  great  reformer  of  Constance  and  Wurtemberg. 
In  this  city  Huss  had  been  burned  at  the  stake  pro- 
phesying that  the  Reformation  would  rise  from  his 
ashes.  In  1527  that  city  rose,  Phoenixlike,  from  his 
ashes  to  throw  off  the  yoke  of  Rome;  as  many  as 
twenty-three  ministers  preaching  the  gospel  in  the 
churches,  out  of  which  the  Catholic  images  and 
altars  had  been  cast.  The  Catholic  priests  and  bish- 
ops fled  from  the  city.  In  this  Reformation  the 
the  Blaarer  family  became  very  prominent.  Am- 
brose, the  reformer,  had  been  a  monk,  but  left  the 
monastery  disgusted  with  its  vices.  His  brother 
Thomas  became  burgomaster  of  the  town  and  Mar- 
garet became  the  female  reformer  of  the  Swiss  Re- 
formation. 

Many,  however,  were  the  difficulties  that  arose  to 
impede  the  Reformation  there.  Drought,  plague 
and  earthquake  came  one  after  the  other.     During 

55 


56  IV omen  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

all  these  trials  Margaret  was  the  excellent  helper  of 
her  brother  Ambrose.  She  was  a  scholar  in  those 
days,  when  few  women  were  educated.  She  read 
the  old  authors  in  the  original  tongues,  had  corres- 
pondence with  many  learned  men  in  Latin  and  was" 
highly  honored  as  a  poetess  by  Erasmus  and  Bul- 
iinger.  Bucer,  the  reformer  of  Strasburg,  having 
attended  the  conference  at  Berne  in  1528,  returned 
with  Blaarer  to  Germany  by  way  of  Constance.  He 
there  learned  to  know  Ambrose's  sister,  and  after- 
wards kept  up  correspondence  with  her,  no  less  than 
seventy-nine  letters  of  Bucer  to  her  being  shown  in 
the  Zurich  library.  He  addressed  her  as  ''sister" 
and  "mother,"  although  he  was  three  years  older 
than  she.  But  then  she  was  a  mother  in  Israel  be- 
cause of  her  good  works.  But  it  was  her  piety  that 
shone  above  all  her  gifts.  For  though  so  honored 
by  men,  and  so  well  acquainted  with  the  sciences  of 
the  day,  she  clothed  herself,  says  a  writer,  *'in  the 
greater  ornament  of  modesty,  that  she  had  not  only 
found  the  pearl  of  great  price,  but  was  a  pearl  her- 
self (Margaret  means  pearl)  through  the  splendor 
of  her  piety  and  her  example  of  good  works."  And 
not  only  this  but  also  an  ornament  to  her  city. 
In  doing  good  she  was  untiring.    Many  were  the 


Margaret  Blaarer.  57 

poor  children  she  taught  to  read.     Many  were  the 
widows   and   orphans   she  visited   in  their   sorrow. 
While   her   brother    Ambrose   swung   the    spiritual 
sword,  the  Word  of  God,  and  her  other  brother 
Thomas  swung  the  worldly  sword  as  a  leader  of 
the  Reformation  in  the  city  council,  her  work  was 
the  quiet,  still  labor  of  a  love  that  reached  all.     The 
first  woman's  society  to  care  for  the  sick  was  organ- 
ized   by    her.      She    thus    became    the    founder    of 
the  first  woman's  society  in  the  Protestant  Church. 
When  the  plague  broke  ont  in  1541  she  labored  most 
assiduously  and  self-denyingly  among  the  sick  at  the 
risk  of  her  own  life.  Her  brother  Ambrose  thus  wrote 
to  Bullinger  November  5,  1541,  "Margaret,  the  best 
of    sisters,    behaves    like  an  archdeaconess  of  our 
church  in  that  she  puts  her  life  and  all  in  danger. 
Daily  she  visits  the  houses  where  the  patients  of  the 
pest  are  cared  for.     She  has  just  taken  a  little  girl 
whom   she  has   supported   for  ten   years,   into  her 
home.     Pray,  I  beseech  you,  to  the  Lord,  that  He 
does  not  permit  her  who  is  our  only  comfort  to  be 
torn  away  from  us." 

Ambrose's  wish  was  answered.  She  did  not  die 
of  the  plague,  but  she  did  not  live  long  after;  for 
she  died  of  a  fever,  November  15,  1541,  at  the  age 


58  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

of  47  years.  After  her  death,  Ambrose  received 
many  letters  full  of  sympathy  and  mourning  from 
all  the  leading  reformers  as  Bucer  and  Bullinger. 
Ambrose  wrote  a  beautiful  hyrr'n  on  her  death,  full 
of  Christian  hope;  for  he  was  one  of  the  earliest 
hymn-writers  of  the  Reformed,  as  for  150  years 
after  the  Reformation  they  sang  mainly  psalms. 

She  was  a  genuine  sister  of  mercy,  not  one  shut 
up  in  a  convent,  but  one  who  entered  the  far  wider 
sphere  of  everyday  life,  busy  in  acts  of  mercy  wher- 
ever opportunity  was  found.  If  her  brother  has 
been  called  the  Apostle  of  Wurtemberg,  she  might 
well  be  called  the  Angel  of  Mercy  of  Constance. 

Well  was  it  for  her  that  she  died  when  she  did. 
It  was  a  mercy  of  God  that  she  did  not  live  a  few 
years  longer,  for  then  she  would  have  seen  the  Re- 
formed driven  out  of  Constance  and  her  brother 
Ambrose  compelled  to  flee  to  Switzerland  for  safety. 
When  that  storm  burst  on  Constance,  she  was  safe 
above  all  storms  in  the  bosom  of  her  Lord  in  heaven. 


Chapter  III.— FRANCE. 


OUEEN    MARGARET   OF    NAVARRE. 


HE  first  princess  to  become  Reformed  was 
Queen  Margaret  of  Navarre.  Before  any 
other  lady  of  royal  blood  became  Re- 
formed, she  did.  The  Reformed  doctrines  already 
at  their  beginning  reached  up  to  a  throne  and  as 
in  Paul's  time  there  were  saints  found  in  Caesar's 
household.  Margaret  was  a  remarkable  combina- 
tion of  qualities.  She  was  one  of  the  most  beautiful 
princesses  of  her  day,  and  learned  as  well.  The 
statesmen  of  her  time  considered  her  the  best  head 
in  Europe.  But  above  all  her  beauty  and  ability 
shone  her  piety.  Her  beauty  of  soul  was  greater 
than  her  beauty  of  body.  To  her  the  Reformed  of 
France  owed  everything,  for  had  it  not  been  for  her 
influence  and  protection,  they  would  have  been 
crushed  out  at  the  very  beginning. 

She  was  born  April  ii,  1492,  at  Angouleme. 
While  she  was  yet  a  girl,  there  was  a  Frenchman 
preaching  the  Gospel  before  the  time  of  the  Refor- 
mation. His  name  was  Lefevre,  and  he  preached  it 
as  early  as   15 12   (four  years  before  Zwingli  and 

59 


6o  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

five  years  before  Luther).  He  taught  that  Christ 
saves,  and  not  the  Church,  for  the  Church  must  her- 
self be  purified.  His  preaching  and  the  letters  of 
Bishop  Briconnet  won  Margaret,  when  young,  to 
the  Evangelical  faith,  although  she  still  remained  a 
member  of  the  Romish  Church,  as  the  Protestants 
had  not  yet  formally  separated  from  that  Church. 
She  had  one  brother,  who  became  Francis  I.,  King 
of  France.  He  cared  nothing  for  the  Reformed 
faith  (for  his  sympathies  were  with  the  Romish 
party),  but  he  cared  much  for  his  sister.  When  an 
enemy  complained  to  him  that  Margaret  was  inclin- 
ing to  Protestantism,  he  replied,  "If  what  you  say  is 
true,  I  love  her  too  well  to  allow  her  to  be  troubled 
on  that  account.^'  Often  he  said  in  the  presence  of 
her  enemies,  ''My  sister  Margaret  is  the  only  wo- 
man I  ever  knew  who  had  every  virtue  and  every 
grace  without  any  admixture  of  vice."  Thus  in 
the  corrupt  court  of  Louisa  of  Savoy  she  preached 
Christ  with  wonderful  sweetness,  and  influenced 
many  of  the  nobility  to  become  Reformed.  Her  in- 
fluence over  her  brother  she  utilized  to  spread  and  to 
protect  Protestantism.  She  hoped  that  he  would 
put  himself  at  the  head  of  the  Protestants,  as  Em- 
peror Charles  V.  of  Spain  had  done  at  the  head  of 


Queen  Margaret  of  Navarre.  6i 

the  Romanists.  She  tried  in  every  way  to  introduce 
Protestant  influences  at  court.  A  German  noble- 
man, the  Count  of  Hohenloe,  who  was  a  great  friend 
of  hers,  became  a  Protestant.  As  he  was  a  high  dig- 
nitary in  the  Romish  Church,  he  had  great  influ- 
ence ;  and  as  he  spoke  French  as  readily  as  German, 
he  hoped  to  win  France  for  the  Reformation.  Queen 
Margaret  was  the  door  through  which  he  hoped  it 
might  enter  France.  So  he  composed  a  book  en- 
titled "The  Book  of  the  Cross,''  which  he  hoped 
would  influence  her.  When  her  brother,  Francis,  re- 
turned from  Spain,  Margaret  hoped  to  influence  him, 
so  that  he  would  gather  around  her  the  friends  of  the 
Gospel,  and  so  wrote  to  Hohenloe.  She  hoped  that 
Francis  would  invite  Hohenloe  to  Paris,  that  he 
might  gain  an  opportunity  to  preach  the  Gospel. 
But  Francis,  on  his  return,  to  her  great  surprise 
and  sorrow,  forbade  Protestant  books,  and  was 
careful  never  to  invite  Hohenloe.  All  that  Mar- 
garet could  do  to  console  herself  was  to  write  some 
of  her  beautiful  religious  poems,  as : 

O  Thou  my  Priest,  my  Advocate,  my  King, 

On  whom  depends  my  life,  my  everything; 

O  Lord,  who  first  didst  drain  the  bitter  cup  of  woe, 

And  knowest  its  poison  (if  man  e'er  did  know), 


62  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

These  thorns  how  sharp,  these  wounds  how  deep — 
Saviour,  Friend,  King,  oh,  plead  my  cause,  I  pray; 
Speak,  help,  and  save  me,  lest  I  fall  away. 

In  1533  she  published  a  volume  of  religious  poems 
entitled  *'The  Mirror  of  the  Sinful  Soul" — a  com- 
mentary on  the  words  "Create  in  me  a  clean  heart, 
O  Lord."  In  it  she  dwells  on  the  great  sacrifice  of 
Christ  for  sin  and  never  mentions  the  Catholic  doc- 
trines of  the  intercession  of  saints,  human  merit  or 
purgatory.  This  omission  gave  great  offence  to 
the  Catholics.  She  is  therefore  the  first  great  fe- 
male poetess  of  the  Reformed.  The  Reformed  re- 
joiced in  this  defence  of  their  principles  by  no  less 
a  person  than  the  Queen;  but  the  Catholics  were  so 
mcensed  that  some  of  their  students  acted  an  alle- 
gorical play  in  which  she  was  held  up  to  ridicule. 
Her  religious  poems  reveal  great  beauty  and  ability, 
all  sanctified  by  her  great  piety. 

When  she  found  she  could  no  longer  use  her  in- 
fluence to  introduce  Protestantism,  she  used  it  to 
protect  it,  especially  after  the  persecutions  of  the 
Reformed  had  begun.  During  the  persecutions, 
whenever  she  was  in  Paris,  her  brother,  out  of  re- 
spect to  her,  would  not  allow  any  Protestants  to  be 
put  to  death.     The  Romanists  plotted  against  her, 


Queen  Margaret  of  Navarre.  63 

but  her  learning,  piety  and  benevolence,  as  well  as 
her  genius  and  beauty,  providentially  prevented 
them  from  hurting  her.  Again  and  again  she  pro- 
tected the  Reformed,  and  often  saved  their  lives. 
Thus  a  young  man  of  rare  qualities,  one  of  her 
friends  at  the  university,  was,  during  her  absence 
from  Paris,  arrested,  dragged  through  the  streets  of 
the  city,  followed  by  a  howling  mob,  and  thrust  into 
prison.  The  cell  into  which  he  was  placed,  was  a 
damp  and  loathesome  place.  There  was  no  flooi- 
where  he  could  sit  down,  and  only  one  place  (the 
cell  being  partly  filled  with  water)  where  he  could 
stand  or  crouch  with  his  back  against  the  damp 
stone  wall.  Here  he  was  kept  without  light,  air  or 
attention,  except  when  given  food,  for  three  days, 
until  he  was  utterly  exhausted.  At  last  the  cell  door 
was  opened,  and  he  found  himself  released.  He 
knew  in  his  heart  that  Margaret  had  done  this.  But 
when,  with  his  torn  and  filthy  garments,  he  went, 
staggering  from  weakness  and  lack  of  food,  through 
the  streets  of  Paris,  not  even  his  old  friends  would 
speak  to  him  or  answer  his  appeal  for  food.  Alas, 
his  persecution  had  closed  their  hearts  against  him. 
He  determined  to  go  to  the  palace  and  appeal  to  his 
deliverer.    Standing  like  a  beggar  at  the  gate,  which 


64  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

he  had  so  often  entered  with  honor,  he  wrote  a  note 
to  her,  stating  his  sad  condition.  She  immediately 
ordered  him  into  her  presence.  When  he  reached 
her  elegant  drawing  room,  he  found  her,  in  all  her 
resplendent  beauty  and  magnificence,  surrounded 
by  ambassadors  and  cardinals.  As  soon  as  he  en- 
tered, she  advanced  to  meet  him,  introduced  him  to 
all  her  company,  and  then  sent  him  to  an  apartment, 
where  everything  was  done  for  his  comfort.  So 
noble  and  fearless  she  showed  herself  in  the  face  of 
persecution.  It  seems  that  as  soon  as  she  had  re- 
turned to  the  city  during  his  imprisonment,  she  had 
gone  to  her  brother  and  with  tears  begged  for  his 
release,  as  he  was  an  innocent  man;  and  Francis 
granted  it,  for  he  never  could  refuse  her.  1  he  Ro- 
manists only  hated  her  the  more  for  this  act,  and 
caricatured  her  in  a  play  as  a  witch  riding  on  a 
broomstick,  an  insult  which  her  brother  was  very 
prompt  to  resent,  and  it  was  stopped. 

Marot,  her  valet  de  chambre  and  the  best  poet  of 
his  age,  was  arrested.  He  spent  his  time  writing 
poems  in  prison,  and  soon  Margaret  had  him  free, 
too.  It  would  have  been  a  great  loss  to  the  French 
Reformed  Church,  if  she  had  not  accomplished  this, 
for  he  was  the  author  of  the  French  translation  of 


Queen  Margaret  of  Navarre.  65 

the  Psalms,  which  were  sung  in  that  Church  for  the 
last  three  centuries. 

Berquin,  one  of  the  most  learned  of  the  French 
nobles,  her  special  friend,  was  also  arrested  (1523) 
for  his  evangelical  ideas,  but  released  through  her 
influence.  Two  years  after,  Berquin  was  again 
arrested  and  severely  examined  by  the  Sorbonne. 
When  they  urged  him  to  recant  just  a  little  and  ob- 
serve some  Romish  rite,  so  as  to  save  his  life,  he  re- 
plied, "I  will  not  yield  a  single  point."  He  expected 
to  be  burned  at  the  stake,  but  lo !  again  Margaret 
gained  liberty  for  him  in  1526.  But  in  1529  Ber- 
quin, who  aimed  to  rescue  France  from  the  pope, 
was  again  arrested  and  imprisoned.  Margaret  again 
used  all  her  efforts  to  have  him  released,  but  all  in 
vain,  and  to  her  great  sorrow  Berquin  was  put  to 
death,  April  22,  1529,  as  a  martyr  for  the  Reformed 
faith. 

When  the  reformers,  like  Lefevre  and  Roussel, 
had  fled  from  France  and  gathered  at  Strasburg, 
she  undertook  to  bring  them  all  back.  She  went  to 
her  brother,  who  was  generally  ready  to  grant  her 
everything.  He  allowed  them  to  return,  and  the  re- 
formers hastened  back  to  thank  her  for  her  influ- 
ence.    She  continued  influencing  her  brother,  until 


66  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

in  1534,  wonderful  to  relate,  he  allowed  Roussel  to 
preach  in  the  leading  church  of  Paris,  the  Notre 
Dame  church,  but  the  people  would  not  permit  it. 
She  was  also  helpful  in  getting  her  brother  to  in- 
vite Melanchthon  to  come  to  France. 

In  1527  occurred  her  second  marriage  which  was 
with  the  King  Henry  of  Navarre.  Splendid  was  the 
wedding,  but  she  found  that  her  married  life  was 
not  all  bliss,  and  her  pious  mind  went  upward  to  a 
better  marriage  as  she  wrote: 

Would  that  the  day  were  come,  O  Lord, 

So  much  desired  by  me, 

When  by  the  cords  of  heavenly  love 

I  shall  be  drav^n  to  Thee, 

United  in  eternal  life 

The  husband  Thou  and  I  the  wife. 

That  wedding  day,-  O  Lord, 

My  heart  so  longs  to  see, 

That  neither  fame  nor  wealth  nor  rank 

Can  give  to  me; 

To  me  the  world  no  more 

Can  yield  delight; 

Unless  Thou,  Lord,  be  with  me  here, 

Lo!    all  is  dark  as  night. 


Queen  Margaret  of  Navarre.  6y 

The  kingdom  of  her  husband  had  never  been  en- 
tered by  the  doctrines  of  the  Reformation.     She  at 
once  began  spreading  them  by  her  example  and  in- 
fluence.     Her    husband    as    a    Romanist    was    not 
pleased  with  this,  but  said  nothing  to  oppose  her, 
except  on  one  occasion.     Margaret  usually  had  pri- 
vate Evangelical  service  in  her  apartments,  when  Le- 
fevre  or  Roussel  would  preach,  and  one  day  she  ob- 
served the  communion.    There  was  an  underground 
hall  in  her  palace  called  the  "Mint,"  beneath  the  ter- 
race  of   the   castle.      Here   her   servants   privately 
placed  a  table,  covered  it  with  a  white  cloth,  and 
placed  on  it  a  plate  of  bread  and  cups  of  wine.    Mar- 
garet went  there  and  joined  with  the  Protestants  in 
their  communion  service.     But  though  it  was  done 
secretly,  the  news  of  it  got  abroad  and  came  to  the 
ears  of  the  king,  who  was  very  much  annoyed  at 
what  he  called  ''the  fastings  in  the  cellar."    One  day 
as  he  returned  from  hunting,  he  asked  where  she 
was.    And  when  told  that  she  was  in  her  apartments, 
listening  to  a  preacher,  he  went  to  them.     The  min- 
ister and  the  others  being  warned,  succeeded  in  es- 
caping, and  Margaret,  trembling  and  anxious,  was 
there  alone  to  receive  him.     The  king  flushed  with 
anger,   struck  her  in  the  face,   saying,  "Madame, 


68  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

you  know  too  much."  This  was  too  great  an  insult 
to  be  passed  over  Hghtly.  She  reported  it  to  her 
brother.  That  any  one  should  lay  violent  hands  on 
his  beautiful  and  idolized  sister,  was  too  much  foi 
Francis,  and  he  at  once  set  out  for  Navarre,  threat- 
ening war.  The  news  of  his  coming  filled  the  king 
of  Navar^^  with  fear.  He  begged  his  wife  to  for- 
give him,  and  he  became  so  penitent  that  he  not  only 
promised  to  allow  Reformed  worship,  but  even 
promised  to  investigate  the  Reformed  doctrines. 
This  incident  led  to  the  conversion  of  the  king  him- 
self, and  so  the  Reformed  faith  was  introduced  into 
Navarre,  and  that  land  became  an  asylum  for  the 
Reformed  fleeing  from  France. 

Margaret  invited  to  her  palace  at  Nerac,  the  lead- 
ing Huguenots,  when  driven  out  of  France.  At 
her  table  they  would  discuss  passages  of  Scripture, 
with  the  Queen  as  a  delighted  listener,  who  often 
took  part  in  the  discussions.  A  beautiful  illustra- 
tion is  told  of  the  last  day  of  Lefevre's  life,  that  while 
the  rest  of  the  company  were  enjoying  their  meal, 
Lefevre  appeared  very  sad.  With  difficulty  she  suc- 
ceeded in  getting  from  him  the  cause.  He  said  that 
he  must  die  soon,  and  face  his  Maker;  and  though  he 
had  lived  a  pure  life,  yet,  while  many  who  had  fol- 


Queen  Margaret  of  Navarre.  69 

lowed  the  Evangelical  teachings  had  boldly  come 
out  for  Protestantism  and  even  died  for  it;  he,  by 
flight  from  persecution,  had  never  taken  his  stand 
by  publicly  leaving  the  Romish  church.  The  Queen 
comforted  him  and  he  appeared  satisfied.  He  then 
appointed  her  his  executrix.  And  when  she  asked 
what  she  would  have  to  do,  he  replied,  'The  task  of 
distributing  my  effects  to  the  poor."  She  replied, 
'T  accept  the  trust  and  it  is  more  acceptable  to  me 
than  if  my  brother  had  left  me  the  whole  kingdom 
of  France."  Lefevre  then  laid  down  to  sleep,  and 
in  sleeping  passed  away. 

Just  before  she  died,  it  is  said,  she  conformed  to 
Catholic  usages,  but  her  correspondence  at  that  time 
was  so  evangelical  as  to  exasperate  the  Catholics. 
She  died  December  21,  1548,  rejoicing  in  hope. 
In  dying  she  called  on  Jesus,  and  not  the  Virgin,  to 
save  her.  *'God,"  she  said,  ''I  am  assured,  will  carry 
forward  the  work  He  has  permitted  me  to  com- 
mence, and  my  place  will  be  more  than  filled  by  my 
daughter,  who  has  the  energy  and  moral  courage, 
in  which,  I  fear,  I  have  been  deficient."  Her  dying 
hope  was  grandly  fulfilled  in  her  daughter,  Jeanne 
d'Albret,  who  bravely  fought  the  battles  for  the  Re- 
formed, and  in  her  grandson,  Henry,  who  became 


yo  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

king  of  France  and  gave  to  the  Reformed  the  Edict 
of  Nantes,  which  gave  them  Hberty  to  worship  in 
France. 


II. 

QUEEN   JEANNE  D''ALBRET   OF   NAVARRE. 

PROTESTANT  Joan  of  Arc  was  this  noble 
lady.  She  was  the  daughter  of  Queen 
Margaret     of     Navarre.       But     she     was 


greater  than  her  mother  in  moral  courage.  Her 
mother  merely  began  the  Reformation,  but  Jeanne 
was  its  greatest  military  female  defender.  She  was 
born  at  the  palace  at  Fontainbleau,  January  7,  1528. 
She  was  an  open,  frank,  fearless  girl — the  very  soul 
of  truth.  She  was  reared  in  France,  away  from  her 
father  and  mother  (who  lived  in  Navarre,)  because 
the  king  of  France  wanted  to  retain  control  over  her. 
She  was  surrounded  by  Romish  influences,  in  fact 
was  not  given  the  chance  to  be  a  Protestant  while 
she  was  a  girl.  But  the  king  of  France  soon  found 
that  she  had  a  will  of  her  own.  Before  she  was 
three  months  old,  the  king  of  Spain  had  asked  for 
her  hand  for  his  son ;  and  when  she  was  about  four- 
teen years  old,  the  king  of  France  determined  to 
marry  her,  a  mere  girl,  to  a  German  prince,  the  duke 
of  Cleve,  in  a  political  marriage.  The  king  was  very 
much  surprised  when  he  found  that  Jeanne  abso- 
lutely refused  to  marry  the  duke.  The  king  had  her 
father  and  mother  help  him,  but  all  their  influences, 

71 


y2.  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

and  even  threats  (as,  that  she  would  be  whipped  to 
death),  were  of  no  avail  with  her.  The  king  was 
inexorable,  she  must  marry.  So  she  did  what  she 
could.  She  drew  up  two  protests  against  the  mar- 
riage, stating  that  she  was  forced  into  it  against  her 
will.  These  were  witnessed  and  filed,  and  became 
of  use  afterwards,  as  we  shall  see.  Still  she  was 
forced  (1546)  to  the  wedding  ceremony.  But  so 
unwilling  was  she  that  they  had  to  carry  her  to  the 
altar — an  unwilling  bride.  The  duke  then  went  to 
war  and  she  was  permitted  to  go  home  with  her 
mother;  and  then  for  the  first  time  she  came  into 
contact  with  the  Reformed  faith.  As  the  duke  of 
Cleve  soon  after  turned  against  the  king  of  France, 
her  marriage  with  him  was  annulled  by  the  pope  on 
account  of  the  protests  she  had  filed. 

When  she  became  twenty  years  old,  her  beauty 
again  attracted  suitors.  She  is  described  as  fair, 
with  a  generous,  open  countenance  and  violet  eyes. 
Among  her  suitors  was  the  Bourbon  prince,  An- 
toine,  duke  of  Vendome.  Him  she  accepted  for  her 
husband.  When  her  father  died,  the  king  of  France 
wanted  to  appropriate  to  himself  her  little  mountam 
kingdom  of  Navarre;  but  now  for  the  first  time 
Jeanne  revealed  her  watchfulness  and  ability  as  a 


Queen  Jeanne  D'Alhret  of  Navarre.  73 

stateswoman.  She  raised  troops  and  prepared  for 
war.  Fortunately,  just  as  she  was  in  danger  of  be- 
ing destroyed,  the  king  of  France  died,  and  her  land 
was  delivered  from  danger.  Then  she  made  an  open 
profession  of  the  Reformed  faith  before  her  people 
and  the  world  at  Pau,  her  capital,  December  5,  1560. 
Still  France  and  the  Romanists  were  not  idle.  Cath- 
arine de  Medici,  her  bitter  enemy,  one  of  the  most 
deceitful  of  women — the  Jezebel  of  her  age — plotted 
against  her.  She  concocted  a  plan  to  separate 
Jeanne's  husband  from  her,  win  him  back  to  the 
Romish  faith,  and  thus  gain  the  kingdom  of  Na- 
varre to  France.  As  Antoine  was  then  regent  of 
France,  and  had  to  be  in  France,  away  from  Jeanne, 
d  large  part  of  his  time,  there  was  danger  that  this 
foul  plan  would  be  carried  out.  Alas  for  Jeanne! 
her  husband  was  caught  in  the  toils  of  the  enemy 
and  soon  went  back  to  the  Catholic  faith.  And 
when  afterwards  Jeanne  visited  Paris,  he  treated  her 
with  contempt  and  tried  to  force  her  to  go  to  mass. 
But  she  would  not  be  forced  against  her  conscience. 
When  Catharine  de  Medici  now  aided  her  husband 
in  trying  to  make  her  give  up  her  Reformed  faith, 
she  nobly  replied  to  her  (although  she  was  broken- 
hearted at  the  time  by  the  infidelity  of  her  husband), 


74  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

"Madam,  if  I  at  this  moment  held  my  son  and  all  the 
kingdoms  of  the  world  in  my  grasp,  I  would  hurl 
them  into  the  bottom  of  the  sea,  rather  than  peril  the 
salvation  of  my  soul."  Her  enemies  even  went  so 
far  as  to  plot  against  her  life;  one  of  them  even 
urging  that  she  be  thrown  over  the  wall  into  the 
river  Seine.  Seeing  her  danger,  she  asked  to  be 
permitted  to  leave  France.  Permission  was  given 
her,  but  it  was  given  treacherously,  for  plans  were 
laid  to  murder  her  on  the  way  home.  As  she  parted 
from  her  son,  the  parting  was  heart-rending.  She 
trembled  to  leave  him  behind  with  the  Romanists 
and  the  French,  and  yet  they  would  not  permit  him 
to  go  with  her.  In  leaving  him  she  made  him  prom- 
ise never  to  go  to  mass,  which  he,  bursting  into 
tears,  agreed  to. 

To  regain  authority  over  her  own  land  of  Na- 
varre she  with  great  boldness  and  matchless  adroit- 
ness led  her  little  company  of  200  through  a  land 
full  of  enemies,  all  the  while  receiving  recruits  from 
the  people  as  she  passed.  She  did  not  know  all  the 
dangers  that  threatened  her.  But  the  Reformed  duke 
of  Conde  garrisoned  Vendome,  where  she  was  to 
spend  the  night,  and  thus  prevented  her  enemies 
from  murdering  her.    The  next  day  Montluc,  who 


Queen  Jeanne  D'Alhret  of  Navarre.  75 

was  sent  in  pursuit  of  her,  followed  her  so  closely 
that  her  flight  was  a  race  for  her  life.  She  sent 
ahead  swift  couriers  to  summon  her  soldiers  to  her 
aid.  Her  enemies  were  almost  on  her — so  close  that 
the  blast  of  their  trumpets  could  be  heard  by  her 
retinue — when,  lo,  eight  hundred  of  her  brave  sol- 
diers from  Navarre  swooped  down  on  her  party, 
and  took  them  under  their  protection  and  saved  her. 
It  was  the  first  of  her  many  hair-breadth  escapes, 
but  it  was  not  the  last.  It,  however,  roused  all  the 
womanhood  that  was  in  her.  She  now  realized  her 
danger  and  their  treachery.  With  sublime  courage, 
marvellous  military  skill  and  dexterous  celerity  she 
dealt  a  blow  at  her  enemies  before  they  were  ready 
to  meet  her  armies.  Her  husband  threatened  ner 
for  introducing  Protestantism  into  her  land,  but  it 
mattered  not  to  her.  A  little  while  after  he  was 
called  to  meet  his  death.  The  face  of  his  wronged 
wife  seemed  to  come  up  before  him  as  he  was  filled 
with  remorse.  It  is  said  that  he  again  professed  the 
Reformed  faith  before  he  died,  and  vowed  that  if 
he  were  permitted  to  live,  he  would  introduce  it 
everywhere  in  France.  As  owing  to  his  death  she 
now  had  greater  power,  Jeanne  issued  her  order 
abolishing  the  Romish  religion  in  Navarre,  because 


y6  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

she  found  that  her  Romish  subjects  were  always 
plotting  against  her.  V/hen  the  Pope  in  return 
issued  a  bull  against  her,  she  with  rare  diplomacy 
compelled  him  to  recall  it  by  making  even  her  arch 
enemy,  Catharine  de  Medici,  her  intercessor  with 
the  Pope.  And  when  the  Pope  talked  of  disinherit- 
ing her  family  by  declaring  her  marriage  with  An- 
toine  void,  because  she  had  been  married  before  to 
the  duke  of  Cleve,  she  then  with  marvellous  diplo- 
macy compelled  Catharine  again  to  prevent  the  Pope 
from  doing  it,  as  that  would  not  only  disinherit  her 
son  and  keep  him  from  the  throne  of  France,  but 
would  put  on  the  throne  the  prince  of  Conde,  whom 
Catharine  hated  worse  than  she  did  Jeanne's  son. 
Marvellous  was  her  skill  in  making  even  her  ene- 
mies do  her  work.  In  it  all  a  kind  providence 
seemed  to  continually  watch  over  her.  For  when 
the  king  of  Spain  started  a  rebellion  in  her  land, 
that  he  might  draw  her  to  it  and  then  capture  her, 
lo!  the  king's  own  wife  warned  Jeanne  of  this  plot, 
and  she  was  saved,  for  she  seemed  to  have  a 
charmed  life. 

Finally  King  Charles  IX.  of  France  and  the  king 
of  Spain  together  plotted  to  massacre  all  the  Re- 
formed,  but   especially  Jeanne   and   the   prince   of 


Queen  Jeanne  D'Alhret  of  Navarre.  77 

Conde.  Without  a  moment's  delay  she  gathered  the 
forces  of  her  little  mountain  land.  This  prevented 
the  massacre,  or  at  least  postponed  it  for  eight  years, 
till  the  awful  day  of  St.  Bartholomew.  She  now 
had  one  great  desire,  and  that  was  to  see  her  son, 
then  thirteen  years  of  age.  Her  great  purpose  was 
to  get  him  out  of  France  and  under  her  control. 
She  was  afraid  he  might  become  a  Catholic,  or 
worse  than  that,  in  the  immoral  French  court.  When 
she  again  visited  France,  she  succeeded  in  gaining 
permission  for  her  boy  to  accompany  her  as  far  as 
Vendome.  Swiftly  she  planned  his  escape.  But 
one  mistake  and  all  would  have  been  fatal.  She 
secretly  sent  a  messenger  to  her  own  court,  telling 
them  to  have  an  armed  force  to  meet  her.  Six  hours 
after  this  courier  left,  at  midnight,  she  and  her  son 
stole  away  and  galloped  at  the  highest  speed  for 
Pau,  her  capital,  and  arrived  there  safely,  though  it 
was  a  hot  flight.  She  now  had  her  son  under  her 
control,  and  carefully  did  she  have  him  trained 
under  her  eye.  He  soon  revealed  remarkable  abil- 
ities, especially  in  the  art  of  war.  He  was  being 
prepared  by  providence  for  his  part  in  the  next  great 
war  between  the  Huguenots  and  Catholics.  Into 
this   conflict  Jeanne   threw   all   her   fortunes.     Al- 


78  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

though  her  mountain  kingdom  of  Navarre  (situated 
southwest  of  France  and  between  France  and 
Spain)  was  not  involved  in  this  war,  for  it  was  a 
combat  between  the  two  reUgions  in  France ;  yet  she 
foresaw  that  the  defeat  of  the  Reformed  in  France 
meant  the  downfall  of  her  kingdom,  too,  because  it 
was  Reformed. 

So  just  as  Gustavus  Adolphus  left  Sweden  to  save 
Protestantism  in  Germany,  she  went  to  the  salvation 
of  the  Huguenots  of  France.  Her  courage  rose  to 
a  sublime  height,  and  she  threw  the  fortunes  of  her- 
self and  her  son  into  this  war  for  the  Reformed. 
She  was  afraid  to  tell  this  decision  of  her  heart  to 
her  own  counsellors  at  Navarre,  for  fear  they  would 
prevent  her  from  carrying  it  out.  So  she  stole  away 
secretly  from  her  own  land  and  arrived  at  Rochelle, 
where  the  Huguenots  of  France  had  gathered  for 
their  defence.  Her  arrival  astounded  that  city.  The 
Reformed  were  beside  themselves  with  joy  at  this 
new  and  unexpected  reinforcement.  The  mayor  of 
the  city  presented  her  with  the  keys  to  the  city.  She 
was  greeted  with  thunders  of  applause  as  she  first 
entered  the  council  of  the  Huguenots.  There  th^ 
prince  of  Conde,  their  idol  and  leader,  arose  and  re- 
signed his  command  of  the  Huguenot  army  into  the 


Queen  Jcanyie  D'Alhret  of  Navarre.  79 

hands  of  Jeanne's  son,  Henry.  The  audience  re- 
sponded enthusiastically  to  this.  Then  it  was  that 
she  arose,  and  with  beauty  and  dignity  declined  the 
offer.  ''No,  gentlemen,"  she  said,  'T  and  my  chil- 
dren are  here  to  promote  the  success  of  this  great 
cause  or  to  share  in  its  disaster.  The  cause  of  God 
is  dearer  to  me  than  the  aggrandizement  of  my  son." 
After  her  address  she  compelled  her  son  to  decline 
the  honor  of  commander-in-chief  amid  such  ap- 
plause as  showed  they  would  accept  Henry  as  their 
leader,  although  he  was  only  sixteen  years  old  at  the 
time.  When  the  Huguenots  found  that  she  would 
not  allow  her  son  to  lead  their  forces,  they  placed  nei 
at  the  head  of  the  civil  government,  as  the  governess 
of  Rochelle.  Many  were  her  cares,  yet  in 
the  midst  of  them  all  she  had  the  New  Tes- 
tament translated  into  the  Basque  language 
for  a  part  of  her  subjects  and  published 
at  her  own  expense.  She  had  charge  of  all 
the  correspondence  with  foreign  princes,  and  it  was 
her  pleadings  that  secured  Queen  Elizabeth  of  Eng- 
land for  an  ally  to  the  Huguenots.  Queen  Eliza^ 
beth  is  rated  as  a  greater  woman  in  history  than 
Jeanne,  but  in  character  she  does  not  begin  to  touch 
her.    She  was  profane,  where  Jeanne  was  pure.    She 


8o  IVonien  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

was  selfish  and  whimsical,  where  Jeanne  was  frank 
and  unselfish.  Elizabeth  lived  for  herself,  Jeanne 
for  the  Reformed.  But  Elizabeth  helped  her  to 
save  the  Huguenots  by  aiding  Rochelle  with  her 
fleet.  Terrible  was  that  war,  but  Jeanne  rose  above 
all  its  misfortunes  and  cares.  The  king  of  Spain 
and  the  king  of  France  now  determined  that  while 
Jeanne  was  away  from  her  kingdom  at  Rochelle, 
they  would  seize  her  kingdom,  but  she  had  it  de- 
fended and  saved.  Then  came  the  death  of  the 
prince  of  Conde,  March  13,  1569,  the  idolized  mili- 
tary leader  of  the  Huguenots.  This  so  paralyzed 
the  Huguenot  army  that  not  even  Coligny  could 
rally  their  courage.  Despairing,  Coligny  sent  for 
her  to  come  to  camp,  and  told  her  she  was  the  only 
one  who  had  influence  enough  to  inspire  the  army 
again  with  enthusiasm  and  courage,  so  as  to  march 
on  to  victory.  She  came  before  the  army  with  its 
flags  draped  in  mourning  for  Conde,  and  tneir  hearts 
hid  in  gloom.  By  her  side  rode  the  son  of  the  dead 
Conde,  while  on  the  other  side  rode  her  son,  Henry. 
Then  she  made  her  great  address,  saying,  "Soldiers, 
you  weep.  But  does  the  memory  of  Conde  de- 
mand nothing  but  profitless  tears  ?  No,  let  us  unite 
and  summon  back  our  courage  to  defend  a  cause 


Queen  Jeanne  D'Alhret  of  Navarre.         8i 

which  can  never  perish  and  to  avenge  him  who  was 
its  firm  support.  Does  despair  overwhelm  you — 
despair,  that  shameful  feeling  of  weak  natures? 
When  I,  the  queen,  hope  still,  is  it  for  you  to  fear? 
Because  Conde  is  dead,  is  all  therefore  lost?  Does 
our  cause  cease  to  be  just  and  holy?  No;  God,  who 
had  already  rescued  you  from  perils  innumerable, 
has  raised  up  brothers-m-arms  worthy  to  succeed 
Conde.  To  these  leaders  I  add  my  own  son.  Make 
proof  of  his  valor.  The  blood  of  Bourbon  afid  Va- 
lois  flows  in  his  veins.  He  burns  with  ardor  to 
avenge  the  death  of  the  prince.  Behold  also  Con- 
de's  son,  the  worthy  inheritor  of  his  father's  virtues. 
He  succeeded  to  his  name  and  to  his  glory.  Sol- 
diers, I  ofifer  to  you  everything  in  my  power  to  be- 
stow— my  dominions,  my  treasures,  my  life,  and 
that  which  is  dearer  to  me  than  all,  my  children.  I 
make  here  a  solemn  oath  before  you  all — and  you 
know  me  too  well  to  doubt  my  word — I  swear  to 
defend  to  my  last  sigh  the  holy  cause  which  now 
unites  us,  which  is  that  of  honor  and  truth.''  Wnen 
she  ceased,  there  was  a  breathless  silence  for  a  mo- 
ment, and  then  everywhere  wild  shouts  went  up 
along  the  lines,  and  as  if  seized  by  a  sudden  impulse, 


82  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

the  army  hailed  the  young  prince  Henry  as  their 
leader. 

Thus  she  stood  there  before  her  army,  a  greater 
than  Joan  of  Arc,  inspiring  her  army  not  by  the 
sword,  but  by  the  subtle  power  of  her  matchless 
character.  This  was  the  grandest  scene  of  many  in 
her  life.  With  wonderful  tact  she,  with  Coligny, 
conducted  the  war.  But  her  beloved  Coligny  was 
defeated  and  badly  wounded  at  Moncontour.  She 
at  once  set  off  to  see  him,  though  great  dangers 
threatened  her  way.  She  found  him  in  bed  with 
his  jaw  so  badly  shattered  that  he  could  not  speak. 
But  though  he  could  not  speak,  he  could  weep  tears 
of  thankfulness  for  her  coming.  Forgetting  that 
defeat,  she  at  once  planned  for  victory.  Everywhere 
the  white  plume  of  her  son  was  waving  to  victory, 
until  the  Huguenot  army  encamped  under  the  very 
walls  of  Paris  and  forced  the  Catholics  to  make 
peace.  Then  she  returned,  covered  with  victories, 
amid  the  applause  of  the  people,  to  her  kingdom  of 
Navarre. 

But,  alas !  now  the  Romanists  determined  to  con- 
quer by  diplomacy  and  deceit,  where  they  could 
not  conquer  by  war.  They  laid  the  plans  for  what 
ultimately  culminated  in  the  awful  massacre  of  St. 


Queen  Jeanne  D'Alhret  of  Navarre.         83 

Bartholomew.  Jeanne,  with  her  wonderful  insight, 
foresaw  that  there  was  deception,  but  she  could  not 
tell  exactly  into  what  danger  it  would  lead.  But 
Coligny  was  confidingly  led  into  the  trap.  Its  first 
step  was  to  get  young  Henry  of  Navarre  to  marry 
the  daughter  of  the  king  of  France.  Jeanne  ob- 
jected. She  did  not  want  her  son  to  marry  a  Cath- 
olic, for  fear  of  their  influence.  But  all  her  coun- 
cillors, with  Coligny  at  their  head,  forced  her  to 
consent  to  the  marriage.  The  Romanists  were  so 
anxious  to  bring  it  about,  that  they  even  agreed  that 
the  marriage  should  be  according  to  the  Reformed 
form.  Finally  Jeanne,  forced  by  all  around  to  give 
her  consent,  went  to  Paris  to  make  the  necessary 
contracts,  and  to  see  that  the  rights  of  her  land  and 
of  her  religion  were  preserved.  She  opposed  the 
French  on  many  points,  but  they  agreed  to  all,  and 
she  finally  signed  the  articles  of  marriage.  But  still 
she  was  not  satisfied.  She  felt  there  was  deception 
somewhere.  St.  Bartholomew's  massacre  "seemed 
to  cast  its  shadow  before"  upon  her.  She  did  not 
know  what  was  coming;  she  only  felt  it  would  be 
an  injury  to  the  Reformed.  Her  anxieties  proved 
too  much  for  her.  She  was  taken  sick  before  the 
wedding,  on  June  4,  1572.     The  Huguenots  were 


84  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

dismayed  by  her  sickness.  If  she  died,  who  would 
look  after  them,  for  she  had  been  so  long  their  pa- 
tron saint?  But  her  faith  was  triumphant  at  her 
death,  as  she  said,  "I  have  never  feared  death.  I 
do  not  dare  to  murmur  at  the  will  of  God,  but  I 
grieve  deeply  to  leave  my  children  exposed  to  so 
many  dangers.  Still  I  trust  it  all  to  Him."  She  died, 
June  9,  1572,  in  her  Reformed  faith,  with  her  Bible 
at  her  side,  relying  on  its  promises  and  receiving  its 
crown.  One  of  her  last  acts  was  to  enjoin  her  son 
to  remain  true  to  the  Reformed  religion. 

Thus  died  the  Deborah  of  the  Reformed  Church 
of  France.  Just  as  Landgravine  Amalie  Elizabeth, 
of  Hesse  Cassel,  was  the  Deborah  of  the  Reformed 
of  Germany,  so  was  she  to  France.  She  had  un- 
furled her  banners  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  and  of 
her  Reformed  faith.  She  has  taken  a  front  rank 
among  the  military  leaders  of  those  Reformation 
times.  When  her  generals  were  killed,  captured  or 
wounded,  she  rallied  her  troops,  inspired  them  with 
courage  and  guided  them  to  victory.  In  all  her  wars 
she  never  had  been  conquered.  And  yet  she  did  not 
do  it  for  herself,  but  for  her  Reformed  faith.  She 
has  came  down  to  us  as  one  of  the  most  beautiful 
brilliant  and  strongest  female  characters  of  history. 


Queen  Jeanne  D'Alhret  of  Navarre.         85 

But  she  died  not  a  moment  too  soon.  She  had  seen 
great  sorrows,  but  a  greater  one  was  to  come  after 
her  death,  the  awful  massacre  of  St.  Bartholomew, 
which  would  have  broken  her  heart,  even  if  it  should 
not  have  taken  her  life.  Perhaps,  had  she  lived,  she, 
with  her  wonderful  divination  of  character,  might 
have  discovered  it  in  time  to  prevent  it,  or  with  her 
wonderful  fertility  of  resources  might  have  been 
enabled  to  combat  it.  At  least  it  is  an  open  question 
of  history  whether  it  would  have  happened  had  she 
lived.  But  she  was  gone.  She  died  while  her  cause 
was  yet  glorious  before  defeat  and  massacre  came. 
So  died  the  woman  who  combined  the  Deborah  of 
the  Bible  and  the  Joan  of  Arc  in  history  in  one  char- 
acter. She  could  sing  with  Deborah,  "So  let  all 
thine  enemies  perish,  but  let  them  that  love  thee  be 
as  the  sun  when  he  goeth  forth  in  his  might." 


c 


III. 

CHARLOTTE  d'mORNAY. 

HARLOTTE  ARBALESTE,  who  later  be- 
came the  wife  of  the  celebrated  Philip  De 
Mornay,  the  famous  French  statesman, 
was  born  February,  1549.  Although  her  mother  re- 
mained a  Catholic  till  her  death,  her  father  became 
a  Protestant  in  the  later  years  of  his  life.  Many 
years  before,  while  traveling  through  Germany,  he 
came  into  contact  with  Protestantism,  and  at  Stras- 
burg  heard  a  theological  discussion  between  the  Re- 
formed and  the  Romanists  which  opened  his  eyes  to 
some  of  the  abuses  of  the  latter.  But  he  remained 
ignorant  of  Evangelical  truth  for  many  years, 
until  being  charged  by  the  Romanists  with  being  a 
heretic,  he  determined  to  examine  into  the  Hugue- 
not heresy  and  finally  accepted  it.  His  last  words 
in  dying,  1570,  were,  "Lord,  thou  gavest  me  a  soul 
fifty-eight  years  ago;  thou  gavest  it  me  white  and 
clean.  I  render  it  to  thee  impure  and  polluted. 
Wash  it  in  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ,  thy  son." 

Charlotte  was  married  September  28,  1567,  to 
the  Seigneur  de  Feuqueres,  a  brave  and  zealous  Hu- 
guenot, who  died  of  a  fever  about  two  years  later. 

87 


^8  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

His  death  left  her  in  financial  straits,  but  the  Lord 
raised  up  friends,  and  later  she  went  to  Paris  to  re- 
ceive her  share  in  her  father's  inheritance.  It  thus 
happened  that  she  was  in  Paris  at  the  awful  mas- 
sacre of  St.  Bartholomew  and  was  saved  only  by  a 
providence.  She  says  that  at  first  she  was  not 
alarmed;  but  when  she  saw  companies  of  soldiers, 
each  wearing  a  white  cross  on  his  hat  going  about 
the  street,  she  felt  there  was  danger.  But  as  there 
was  so  much  danger  in  the  streets  she  remained  in  her 
apartments.  She  then  sent  her  maidservant  and 
little  daughter  to  a  Catholic  friend,  who  sent  word 
back  that  Charlotte  would  also  be  welcome  if  she 
would  come.  She  had  hardly  left  her  apartments 
when  the  soldiers  burst  in  and  were  greatly  angered 
that  she  could  not  be  found.  The  number  of  re- 
fugees in  this  friend's  house  increased  to  forty,  but 
they  remained  until  the  third  day,  Tuesday  evening. 
Then  suspicion  was  aroused,  the  house  being  order- 
ed to  be  searched.  Warning  of  this  having  come,  all 
escaped  except  Charlotte  and  another.  She  with  her 
maid,  was  put  in  an  empty  loft,  while  her  child  was 
sent  in  safety  to  her  Catholic  grandmother.  Then 
she  was  hidden  in  the  houses  of  several  friends  for 
three    lays  more,  and  finally  taken  to  a  corn-mer- 


Charlotte  D'Mornay.  89 

chant's.  Her  mother  then  tried  to  get  her  to  go  to 
mass,  if  only  to  simply  save  her  life.  But  she  abso- 
lutely refused.  Her  Reformed  faith  was  dearer  to 
her  than  her  own  life. 

At  length,  after  being  there  five  days  she  deter- 
mined to  leave  Paris  by  all  hazards.  Her  chamber 
there  was  immediately  above  that  of  a  Catholic  lady 
and  she  did  not  dare  walk  in  her  room  for  fear  of 
being  discovered.  She  did  not  dare  light  a  candle 
lest  the  suspicions  of  the  neighbors  should  be  excited. 
When  anything  was  brought  her,  it  was  only  a  mor- 
sel, secretly.  So  on  Wednesday,  the  eleventh  day  of 
the  massacre,  she  succeeded  in  getting  into  a  boat 
on  the  Seine  to  go  to  Sens.  At  Tournelles  a  guard 
demanded  her  passport.  As  she  had  none  he  charged 
her  with  being  a  Huguenot.  In  despair  almost, 
she  asked  to  be  taken  to  a  gentleman  there,  with 
whom  her  grandmother  who  was  a  Catholic  had  had 
business.  Two  soldiers  brought  her  to  the  gate. 
Her  friends  assured  the  soldiers  that  she  was  a  good 
Catholic,  and  she  was  taken  back  to  the  boat  and 
permitted  to  go  on  her  journey.  But  she  was  still 
in  the  greatest  danger,  yet  the  Lord  delivered  her 
safely.  For  at  the  moment  she  was  arrested  at  the 
boat,  the  house  of  the  corn-merchant  where  she  had 


90  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

been  was  searched  and  she  would  have  been  killed 
had  she  been  found  there. 

She  traveled  to  Villegrand  where  for  fifteen  days 
she  found  an  asylum  in  the  country  with  a  vine- 
dresser. She  then  went  to  Sedan  where  she  found 
safety  for  the  duke  of  Bouillon,  its  ruler,  was  a 
member  of  the  Reformed  faith.  There  she  remained 
and  while  there  she  met  her  second  husband,  Philip 
DeMornay,  one  of  the  most  devoted  Huguenots, 
who  like  herself  had  almost  miraculously  escaped 
St.  Bartholomew's  massacre.  He  was  distinguished 
as  a  Christian,  a  statesman,  a  soldier,  and  an  author. 
They  were  married  January  3,  1576.  He  was  sent 
as  an  ambassador  to  England  and  Holland  and  she 
traveled  with  him.  They  returned  to  Paris  in  July, 
1582,  and  went  from  there  to  Montauban  in  south- 
ern France,  where  she  lived. 

While  there,  a  peculiar  case  of  church  discipline 
occurred  in  the  Reformed  church.  The  consistory 
of  that  congregation  were  quite  rigid  about  sim- 
plicity of  dress,  holding  it  to  be  unbecoming  for 
Christian  woman  to  wear  curls,  and  they 
prohibited  it  under  pain  of  exclusion  from  the 
Lord's  Supper.  They  quoted  i  Timothy  2:10-11, 
"In  like  manner  also  that  women  adorn  themselves 


Charlotte  D'Mornay.  9^ 

in   modest   apparel,   with   shamefacedness   and   so- 
briety; not  with  braided  hair  of  gold  or  pearls,  but 
(which  becometh  women  professing  godliness)  with 
good  works";  and  also  i  Peter  3,  ''Whose  adorning, 
let  it  not  be  that  outward  adorning,  of  plaiting  of  the 
hair  and  of  wearing  of  gold  or  of  putting  on  of  ap- 
parel, but  let  it  be  the  hidden  man  of  the  heart,  in 
that  which  is  not  corruptible,  even  the  ornament  of 
a  meek  and  quiet  spirit,  which  in  the  sight  of  God 
is  of  great  price."    Charlotte  and  her  daughters  not 
obeying    this    injunction   of   the   consistory,   were 
prohibited  from  coming  to  the  Lord's  Supper  by  the 
consistory.    DeMornay,  her  husband,  severely  repri- 
manded the  consistory,  but  it  was  all  in  vain.     She 
replied  to  the  consistory  saying  that  the  Reformed 
church  nowhere  else  acted  in  this  manner,  and  that 
I  Timothy  2  -.9,  as  Calvin  showed  in  his  commentary, 
referred  more  to  the  reformation  of  manners  than  to 
dress.     She  finally  appealed  from  the  consistory  to 
the    General    Synod    of  the  Reformed  Church  of 
France.    We  are  not  informed  how  the  matter  was 
finally  adjusted  there,  but  part  of  her  family  began 
attending  the  Lord's  Supper  in  a  neighboring  Re-, 
formed  congregation,  and  she  in  1589  removed  to 
Saumur.    There,  when  her  husband,  being  relieved 


92  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

of  active  service  by  the  king,  returned,  he  found  her 
building  at  her  own  expense  a  church  for  the  Re- 
formed congregation.  This  was  dedicated  a  few 
days  after  his  return. 

Her  heart  seemed  bound  up  in  the  life  of  her  only 
son  Philip,  to  whom,  when  he  was  in  Holland,  she 
wrote  a  most  beautiful  motherly  letter.  "My  son, 
God  is  my  witness  that  even  before  your  birth,  He 
inspired  me  with  a  hope  that  you  would  serve  Him ; 
and  this  to  you  ought  to  be  some  pledge  of  His  grace 
and  an  admonition  to  perform  your  duty.  Your 
father  and  I  have  also  taken  care  to  instruct  you  in 
every  branch  of  useful  learning,  to  the  end  that  you 
may  not  only  live,  but  also  shine  in  His  church. 
You  are  young,  my  son,  and  divers  imaginations 
present  themselves  to  youth,  but  always  remember 
the  saying  of  the  Psalmist,  'How  shall  a  young  man 
direct  his  way?  Certainly  by  conducting  himself 
according  to  thy  word,  O  Lord.^  Nor  will  there  be 
wanting  persons  who  will  desire  to  turn  you  aside 
therefrom  to  the  left  hand  or  the  right.  But  say  also 
with  the  Psalmist,  T  will  associate  only  with  those 
that  keep  thy  laws.  Thy  laws,  O  God,  shall  be  the 
men  of  my  counsel.' "  Beautiful  words,  and  nobty 
he  fulfilled  them,  for  he  grew  up  a  beautiful  Chris- 


Charlotte  D'Mornay.  93 

tian  character  in  answer  to  such  prayers  and  ad- 
monitions. 

His  death,  in  battle,  in  1605,  while  fighting  for 
the  Dutch,  almost  broke  her  heart.  She  never  re- 
covered from  the  shock,  and  survived  him  only  a 
few  months.  On  Sunday,  May  7th,  1606,  she  at- 
tended morning  service  at  the  church  and  expected 
to  go  in  the  afternoon  to  catechising,  but  she  became 
ill.  She  endured  great  suffering  until  the  following 
Sunday,  when  her  husband  broke  the  news  to  her, 
that  she  must  die.  She  received  the  news  with  joy. 
She  bore  her  dying  testimony,  saying,  *'I  am  going 
to  God,  persuaded  that  nothing  can  separate  me 
from  His  love.  I  know  that  my  Redeemer  liveth. 
He  has  triumphed."  One  of  her  physicians,  a 
Catholic,  exhorted  her  to  take  courage.  She  re- 
plied, "My  courage  is  from  above."  She  then  spoke 
to  him  of  the  superior  consolation  that  the  Protest- 
ant religion  offered  over  the  Catholic,  and  urged 
him  to  look  to  Christ  and  him  crucified.  The  next 
day  her  pastor  recalled  to  her  Christ's  words,  "Fa- 
ther, into  thy  hand  I  commend  my  spirit."  She 
added  the  additional  words  of  the  31st  Psalm,  "For 
thou  hast  redeemed  me,  O  eternal  God  of  truth." 
She  expired  with  the  word  "Jesus"  on  her  lips,  May 


94  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

15,  1606.  Her  husband  bore  a  beautiful  tribute  to 
her  memory  when  he  said  of  her,  "She  assisted  me 
to  live  well,  and  by  her  pious  death,  she  has  taught 
me  how  to  die  well." 


A 


IV. 

PHILLIPINE  DE  LUNS. 

MARTYR  woman  was  this  Reformed  saint, 
for  the  female  sex  furnished  its  quota  of 
martyrs  for  our  faith.     She  was  born  at 


Gascogne,  France.    Of  her  youth  we  know  nothing. 
At  an  early  age  she  was  married  to  a  noble  gentle- 
man named  Von  Graberon.     She  went  with  him  to 
Paris,  so  as  to  join  the  Reformed  church  there,  of 
which  he  was  an  elder.    Often  the  Huguenots  would 
assemble  themselves  in  her  house,  and  the  neighbors 
would  hear  them  singing  psalms,  as  they  were  not 
allowed  to  have  a  church  in  the  city.    But  soon  her 
husband  died,  and  in  1557  she  was  left  a  widow  at' 
the  early  age  of  23.    Soon  after  her  husband's  death, 
September   4,    1557,    she   met   with    four   hundred 
French     Reformed     in     a     hall     in     the     street 
of  St.  Jacques  behind  the  university.     There  they 
celebrated    the    Lord's    Supper,    and    the   minister 
preached  on  the  words  of  institution  in  First  Co- 
rinthians, eleventh   chapter.      But  at  midnight,   as 
they  wanted  to  go  home,  they  heard  terrible  noises 
outside.    The  mob  evidently  wanted  to  burst  in  the 
doors;  for  the  fanatical  people  believed  that  these 
Huguenots  had  been  the  cause  of  the  defeat  of  the 

95 


96  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

French  army  at  St.  Ouentin,  and  they  had  gathered 
large  quantities  of  stones  to  throw  at  them  as  they 
came  out  of  the  Reformed  service. 

While  the  enemy  were  making  outcries  without 
the  house,  the  Reformed  within  became  greatly 
frightened.  The  elders  urged  them  to  become  quiet, 
and  then  asked  them  whether  they  would  choose  to 
stay  there  until  the  light  of  the  morning  would  make 
it  safer  for  them  to  go  home,  or  whether  they  de- 
sired to  fight  their  way  that  night  through  the  armed 
crowd  outside,  and  thus  escape.  Many  men  reached 
for  their  daggers  and  determined  to  force  their  way 
out,  and  thus  many  escaped.  But  many  others, 
among  them  Phillipine,  had  to  remain  behind.  And 
when  the  day  dawned,  they  were  arrested.  As  they 
were  led  forth,  the  crowd  fell  upon  them  and  abused 
them  fearfully.  With  clothing  torn  into  shreds  and 
full  of  the  mud  thrown  on  them,  they  were  led  to 
prison.  In  this  terrible  prison  Phillipine  remained 
a  whole  year.  Often  she  was  heard  singing  the 
twenty-fifth  and  the  forty-second  psalms.  Priests 
often  came  to  her  to  try  to  bring  her  back  to  the 
Catholic  faith,  but  she  always  came  out  victor  in 
their  attacks.  Once  one  of  them  asked  her:  "Do 
you  believe  that  the  wafer  at  the  communion  is  the 


Phillipine  De  Luns.  97 

true  body  of  our  Lord  ?"  She  replied :  "How  could 
He,  who  filled  heaven  and  earth,  be  contained  in  a 
piece  of  bread,  which  mice  could  eat  and  cobwebs 
pollute?"  Her  testimony  for  Evangelical  truth 
was  so  firm  that  they  put  her  into  closer  con- 
finement. Heretofore  she  had  been  permitted  to  see 
her  sister,  but  after  this  she  was  sentenced  to  soli- 
tary confinement. 

From  this  time  the  course  of  the  law  was  hastened 
for  the  Romanists  found  there  was  no  hope  of  con- 
verting her  back  to  Rome.  And  besides,  the  judge 
wanted  to  convict  her,  so  as  to  get  a  share  in  her 
estates.  Meanwhile  Calvin  from  Geneva  was  urg- 
ing the  Protestant  princes  of  Germany  to  use  their 
influence  with  the  French,  so  that  these  prisoners 
might  be  spared.  But  their  intercession  came  too 
late.  She  was  brought  before  her  judges  for  trial. 
Her  ordeal  was  quite  severe,  but  her  answers  were 
based  on  the  Bible.  She  was  asked :  "Do  you  believe 
in  the  mass  ?"  She  replied :  ''About  this  sacrament 
I  will  believe  only  what  is  found  in  the  Old  and  New 
Testaments.  I  have  not  yet  found  there  that  the 
mass  is  from  God."  "Will  you  receive  the  wafer?" 
"No;  I  will  receive  only  what  Christ  has  sealed/' 
"How    long    is    it    since    you    confessed    to    the 


98  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

priest?^'  "I  do  not  remember,  but  I  do  know  that  I 
have  daily  made  confession  to  my  Lord.  Other  con- 
fession is  not  commanded  by  Christ,  for  He  alone 
has  the  power  to  forgive  sin."  "What  do  you  be- 
lieve about  prayer  to  the  Virgin  and  to  the  saints  ?" 
"1  know  no  other  prayer  than  that  which  our  Lord 
taught  to  His  disciples.  To  Him  we  must  go,  and 
to  no  other.  The  saints  in  paradise  are  happy,  that 
I  know,  but  pray  to  them  I  will  not."  "Do  you  ob- 
serve fasting  on  Friday  and  Sunday?"  "No;  be- 
cause it  is  not  commanded  in  the  Bible."  They 
then  tried  to  argue  with  her  about  it  by  saying  "that 
the  Church  required  fasting,  and  even  if  non-fasting 
were  not  sinful  in  itself,  it  would  become  sinful  be- 
cause the  Church  forbade  it."  Very  ably  she  re- 
plied :  ^T  do  not  believe  in  any  other  commandment 
than  that  Christ  gave.  And  nowhere  in  the  New 
Testament  do  I  find  that  power  is  given  to  the  pope 
to  rule  the  Church."  But  they  argued,  "the  spir- 
itual and  worldly  powers  are  ordained  of  God,  and 
should  be  obeyed."  She  answered:  "The  Church 
has  no  other  authority  in  it  than  that  of  Christ." 
"Who  taught  you  this  ?"  "The  Old  and  New  Tes- 
taments." Like  her  Saviour  at  His  temptations,  she 
answered  them  out  of  the  Word  of  God. 


Phillipine  De  Luns.  99 

On  September  27,  1558,  she  was  sentenced  to 
death.  An  old  man,  Chvet,  and  a  young  man,  Gra- 
velle,  both  elders  of  the  Reformed  Church,  who  had 
been  arrested  at  the  same  time  that  she  had,  were 
sentenced  to  die  with  her.  All  three  were  tortured 
severely,  and  after  torture  they  were  thrown  into  the 
chapel  of  the  courthouse.  There  they  waited  for 
their  deliverance  from  this  imprisonnjcnt  of  earth 
to  the  freedom  of  heaven.  As  usual,  the  priest 
came  to  try  to  convert  them  back  to  Catholicism 
before  they  died,  but  the  priest^s  efforts  were  all 
useless.  They  laid  aside  their  garments  of  sorrow 
and  put  on  their  best  clothing,  because  they  said 
they  were  going  not  to  a  funeral,  but  to  a  wedding, 
and  they  wanted  to  be  ready  to  meet  their  bride- 
groom, the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  They  were  then 
placed  on  wagons  and  taken  to  the  place  of  execu- 
tion. Clivet,  who  had  been  a  schoolmaster  in  the 
country  districts,  and  whose  picture  had  once  been 
burned  by  the  Romanists,  bore  his  Christian  testi- 
mony boldly  to  the  bystanders  as  the  wagon  rode 
along.  A  priest  said  to  Phillipine  that  she  should 
confess  to  him.  She  replied :  'T  continually  confess 
in  my  heart  to  my  Lord  and  am  certain  of  the  for- 
giveness of  sin."    Some  of  the  councillors  bade  her 


100  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

take  a  wooden  cross  in  her  hand,  saying  as  an  argu- 
ment that  Christ  had  bade  men  to  carry  the  cross. 
She,  however,  refused  in  the  least  to  do  any  hom- 
age to  Rome,  but  replied  that  Christ  indeed  bade  us 
bear  the  cross,  but  He  did  not  refer  to  a  wooden 
cross  outside  of  ourselves,  but  to  a  cross  within  us 
in  our  souls.  Gravelle  was  asked  by  a  priest  in  what 
manner  he  was  to  die.  He  replied :  "That  I  will  die, 
I  well  know;  but  how  it  matters  not,  for  I  well 
know  that  God  will  stand  by  me  in  every  pang." 
Because  he  so  nobly  bore  testimony  for  Christ,  his 
enemies  urged  that  his  tongue  be  cut  out.  He, 
therefore,  quickly  offered  it  to  the  executioner,  so 
willing  was  he  to  suffer  for  his  Lord.  "I  pray  you, 
pray  for  me,"  were  his  last  words. 

Then  came  Phillipine's  turn.  As  she  was  asked  to 
offer  her  tongue  to  be  cut  off,  she  offered  it  joyfully. 
She  said :  "I  care  not  if  my  body  suffer,  why  should 
I  care  for  my  tongue."  At  the  Place  Maubert  they 
were  all  burned  at  the  stake.  The  two  men  were 
burned  alive.  Phillipine,  after  they  had  burned  her 
face  and  feet  with  torches,  was  strangled,  and  then 
her  body  was  burned,  too. 

"The  blood  of  the  martrys  is  the  seed  of  the 
Church."    Not  without  fruit  was  the  death  of  Phil- 


Phillipine  De  Luns.  loi 

lipine.  Just  as  Stephen's  death  prepared  for  Paul's 
conversion,  so  the  brave  testimony  of  these  martyrs 
spread  Protestantism.  For  in  the  following  year 
the  French,  or  Gallic  Confession  of  Faith  was  drawn 
up,  and  this  was  publicly  recognized  by  the  French 
court  in  1561.  O,  if  our  Reformed  forefathers  and 
foremothers  could  suffer  so  much  for  our  faith,  how 
we  should  love  our  faith;  and  like  them,  be  willing 
to  deny  ourselves,  in  order  that  it  might  be  spread 
abroad  to  save  the  world  for  Christ! 


V. 

CHARLOTTE  D^BOURBON^  PRINCESS  OF  ORANGE. 

C "CHARLOTTE  was  the  daughter  of  the 
Prince  Louis,  Duke  of  Bourbon;  but  her 
mother,  Jacquehne,  was  a  behever  in  the 


Reformed  doctrines,  and  she  secretly  taught  them  to 
her  children.  Charlotte's  father,  finding  this  out, 
determined  to  thwart  his  wife's  influence  by  sending 
three  of  his  daughters  to  convents.  For  the  duke 
had  met  with  such  reverses  of  fortune  that  he  would 
have  found  it  hard  to  provide  suitable  marriage 
dowers  for  his  five  daughters,  so  he  thought  the 
best  way  to  avoid  their  marriage,  and  also  to  keep 
them  Romanists,  was  to  send  them  to  convents.  Be- 
sides, at  that  time  it  was  considered  quite  honorable 
for  ladies  of  high  rank  to  enter  convents,  and  they 
lost  nothing  in  social  rank  by  it.  The  duke  was 
highly  commended  by  his  Romanist  friends  for  his 
self-denying  act  in  giving  so  many  of  his  children 
to  the  Church. 

But  man  proposes  and  God  disposes.  It  could 
little  be  expected  that  a  nun  would  become  a  Re- 
formed princess,  but  so  it  happened  in  her  case.  Her 
mother  was  heart-broken  over  this  act  of  her  hus- 
band, and  she  wept  and  prayed  much,  especially  for 

103 


104  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

Charlotte,  who  was  then  only  thirteen  years  old. 
Charlotte  instinctively  shrank  from  the  life  set  be- 
fore her,  and  begged  to  be  allowed  to  stay  with  her 
mother.  Her  mother  shrewdly  prepared  a  solemn 
protest  against  entering  the  convent,  which  Char- 
lotte secretly  signed,  and  then  Charlotte  was  com- 
pelled to  go  to  the  nunnery  of  Jouarre  in  Normandy. 
All  her  mother  could  do  now  was  to  pray.  But  the 
prayer  of  the  righteous  man  availeth  much,  and  the 
prayer  of  a  righteous  woman  often  avails  more  than 
that  of  a  righteous  man ;  so  her  prayers  were  answer- 
ed, although  she  did  not  live  to  see  the  answer.  For 
she  died  August,  1561,  and  Charlotte's  release  did 
not  take  place  till  ten  years  later.  Meanwhile  Char- 
lotte in  the  nunnery  made  the  best  of  her  lot.  Still 
she  did  not  forget  the  last  instructions  of  her  moth- 
er, from  whom  she  had  been  so  cruelly  torn.  And 
when  her  mother  died,  and  the  papists  would  not 
even  allow  her  to  go  and  look  at  her  mother's  dead 
face,  her  dissatisfaction  increased.  Now,  while  she 
was  quietly  spending  her  time  in  the  nunnery,  a  ter- 
rible struggle  was  taking  place  in  France  between 
the  Huguenots  and  the  Romanists.  Although  she 
was  away  from  it,  yet  she  watched  it  with  great  in- 
terest; for,  although  a  nun,  she  sympathized  with 


Charlotte  D'Bourhon,  Princess  of  Orange.  105 

the  Huguenots.  But  so  secret  was  her  sympathy  for 
them,  that  she  was  supposed  to  be  a  good  Catholic. 
And  having  influence  as  a  princess  of  the  royal  line 
of  the  Bourbons,  her  friends  succeeded  in  gaining 
for  her  the  high  position  of  abbess.  This  gave  her 
the  opportunity  of  teaching,  but  in  a  very  guarded 
way,  the  new  doctrine  of  the  reformation,  and  many 
of  the  nuns  imbibed  her  views.  At  length  she  came 
under  suspicion,  and  was  charged  with  perverting 
the  nuns  under  her.  She  found  herself  in  the  great- 
est danger.  The  Romanists  were  about  to  begin 
proceedings  against  her.  But  just  then  (1572) 
providentially  Normandy  was  invaded  by  the  Hu- 
guenots, and  her  convent  was  thrown  open  by  them. 
She  saw  the  opportunity  that  providence  gave  her, 
and  at  once  quitted  convent  life  forever.  To  justify 
herself,  she  published  the  fact  that  she  had  been 
forced  into  the  nunnery  against  her  will,  and  re- 
vealed the  protest  she  had  signed  many  years  before. 
This  lessened  the  attacks  of  the  Romanists  on  her, 
while  it  at  the  same  time  gained  for  her  the  confi- 
dence of  the  Huguenots,  who  saw  that  she  had  not 
been  acting  with  duplicity.  She  at  once  fled  to  her 
oldest  sister,  the  Duchess  of  Bouillon,  who  was 
warmly  attached  to  the  Reformed  faith.     She  then 


io6  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

fled  from  France,  because  of  her  danger,  and  went 
to  Heidelberg,  where  she  was  welcomed  by  Elector 
Frederick  III.  of  the  Palatinate  as  a  daughter.  For 
Frederick,  who  had  ordered  the  composition  of  our 
Heidelberg  Catechism,  was  a  great  protector  of  the 
Reformed,  and  threw  open  his  territory  to  them  as 
an  asylum. 

When  her  father  heard  of  her  flight  from  the  con- 
vent, he  was  beside  himself  with  rage.  As  it  was 
not  known  where  she  was,  the  French  court  took  up 
her  case  and  ordered  that  a  search  be  made  for 
her,  and  that  she  should  be  severely  punished.  Then 
it  was  that  the  Elector  Frederick,  a  truer  father  to 
her  than  her  own  father,  wrote  to  her  father,  March 
15,  1572,  notifying  him  that  his  daughter  had  found 
an  asylum  with  him,  and  that  he  had  received  her, 
because  she  had  followed  the  dictates  of  her  con- 
science. Her  father  was  now  angrier  with  her  than 
ever.  He  was  indignant  that  she  had  left  the  con- 
vent. Had  she  remained  a  Catholic,  he  might  have 
forgiven  her.  But  that  she  should  have  become  a 
Protestant,  the  very  thing  he  had  tried  for  so  many 
years  to  prevent,  was  too  much  for  him  to  bear.  He 
even  went  so  far  in  his  anger  as  to  impugn  Freder- 
ick's motives  by  writing  to  him,  "Can  it  be  honorable 


Charlotte  D' Bourbon,  Princess  of  Orange.  107 

for  you  to  receive  into  your  house  children  who  have 
run  away  from  their  father  ?  Is  it  not  more  worthy 
for  you  to  advise  them  to  return?"  But  Elector 
Frederick  did  not  flinch  in  his  devotion  to  Protes- 
tantism and  answered  her  father  in  a  dignified  way, 
stating  his  willingness  to  return  Charlotte,  provided 
she  would  be  granted  free  exercise  of  her  Reformed 
religion  in  France.  He  also  wrote  in  the  same  strain 
to  the  king  of  France.  The  king  declared  that  he 
was  willing  to  let  her  worship  according  to  her  Re- 
formed faith,  and  even  appointed  messengers  to  go 
to  Heidelberg  to  bring  her  to  France,  but  her  father 
was  inflexible  against  her.  "If  she  means  to  persist 
in  the  Protestant  religion,''  he  said,  "I  would  rather 
she  would  remain  in  Germany,  than  return  to 
France  to  scandalize  everybody,  and  be  the  misfor- 
tune of  my  old  age.''  The  king's  messengers  came 
to  Heidelberg,  but  she  declined  to  go  to  France,  as 
her  father  would  not  consent  to  her  religion.  So 
she  remained  at  Heidelberg  with  the  Palatinate 
court. 

Three  pleasant  years  she  spent  there  under  the 
kindly  care  of  the  Elector  Frederick.  Then  Prince 
William  of  Orange  sued  for  her  hand  in  marriage. 
It  was  a  very  suitable  match,  for  he  was  the  ruler  of 


io8  IV omen  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

the  Netherlands,  and  she  was  a  princess  of  the  royal 
line  of  France.  But  there  were  grave  difficulties  in 
the  way,  for  when  does  the  course  of  true  love  run 
smooth  ?  It  was  necessary,  for  the  sake  of  political 
peace,  to  get  the  king  of  France  and  her  father  to 
give  their  consent  before  the  marriage  could  take 
place.  The  king,  in  his  answer,  refused  to  commit 
himself  either  way,  and  the  Dutch  court  went  on  the 
principle  that  silence  gives  consent,  especially  as  he 
said  he  would  raise  no  objections.  The  French  par- 
liament finally  gave  their  consent.  But  would  her 
father  give  his  consent  ?  However,  although  he  had 
been  most  irreconcilable  before,  he  now  saw  in  it  a 
brilliant  marriage  for  his  daughter  to  the  leading 
statesman  of  Europe,  and  not  only  gave  his  consent, 
but  gave  her  an  ample  dowry.  Other  difficulties 
arose,  but  the  marriage  nevertheless  took  place,  June 
12,  1575.  It  was  a  very  happy  marriage,  for  both 
were  members  of  the  Reformed  Church  and  interest- 
ed in  the  same  aims,  charities  and  hopes.  She  prov- 
ed herself,  as  William's  brother.  Count  John  of 
Nassau,  said,  "A  wife  distinguished  by  her  virtue, 
piety  and  intelligence." 

But  new  cares  and  anxieties  came  to  her  with  this 
marriage.    For  her  husband  was  engaged  in  a  dead- 


Charlotte  D'Boiirhon,  Princess  of  Orange.  109 

ly  war  with  Spain.  That  country  had  done  every- 
thing to  defeat  him  and  threw  odium  on  his  mar- 
riage, because  he  had  separated  from  his  former 
wife,  who  had  been  unfaithful.  Wilham,  therefore, 
was  compelled  to  defend  himself  and  his  marriage, 
which  he  did  by  showing  the  king  of  Spain  to  be  one 
of  the  blackest  souls  that  ever  ruled  a  nation.  This 
reply  William  scattered  all  over  Europe.  In  June, 
1580,  the  king  of  Spain  finally,  finding  that  he  could 
not  conquer  William  by  fair  means,  determined  to 
employ  foul,  and  he  offered  a  large  reward  of  25,000 
crowns  to  any  one  who  would  bring  him,  alive  or 
dead,  to  the  king.  Charlotte  was  greatly  alarmed  by 
all  this.  She  was  in  constant  fear  for  the  life  of  her 
husband.  Again  and  again  did  she  warn  him  to  be 
careful,  and  not  let  strangers  approach  him.  But  he 
had  become  so  careless  of  himself  during  the  previ- 
ous wars  that  he  would  not  heed  her  warnings.  The 
next  year  what  she  feared  happened.  Two  Spain- 
iards,  one  of  them  a  master  of  a  bank  at  Antwerp 
and  the  other  his  servant,  plotted  to  take  William's 
life.  The  master  was  to  share  the  reward,  but  the 
servant  was  to  do  the  deed.  Before  the  servant 
Jaurequay  went  to  perform  the  fatal  act  on  Sunday, 
March  18,  1582,  he  was  absolved  from  all  his  sins  by 


no  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

a  Romish  priest,  who  gave  him  the  sacrament  and 
also  a  charm  to  protect  his  life.  The  priest,  fearing 
that  his  courage  might  fail  him  before  he  struck  the 
fatal  blow,  accompanied  him  to  the  castle  and  gave 
him  blessing  on  his  diabolical  work  when  they  sep- 
arated. Prince  William  had  been  to  the  Reformed 
church  that  morning,  and  was  at  dinner  when  the 
assassin  tried  to  enter  the  dining  room,  but  was  re- 
pulsed by  the  prince's  servants.  But  after  dinner 
William  was  showing  Count  Laval  some  tapestry, 
which  had  on  it  pictures  of  the  Spanish  cruelties. 
Then  Jaurequay  again  tried  to  force  his  way,  but  the 
servants  prevented  him.  William,  however,  inno- 
cently and  unsuspectingly  reproved  the  servants,  and 
ordered  him  to  be  allowed  to  come,  as  he  thought 
the  man  was  some  citizen  who  wanted  to  see  him. 
The  assassin,  seeing  his  opportunity,  stepped  for- 
ward, and,  putting  his  pistol  over  Count  Laval's 
shoulder,  fired.  The  prince  was  wounded  in  the 
head,  the  bullet  knocking  out  several  teeth,  passing 
through  the  lower  part  of  the  head,  and  out  into  the 
right  cheek.  It  just  grazed  the  juglar  vein,  passing 
so  close  to  it  as  to  cauterize  it.  For  a  moment 
William  did  not  seem  to  realize  what  had  happened, 
but  it  seemed  to  him  as  if  the  house  had  fallen.    But 


Charlotte  D'Bourhon,  Princess  of  Orange,  iii 

immediately  the  prince,  recovering  himself,  begged 
that  the  assassin  be  spared.  However,  the  man  was 
dead  already.  Charlotte,  when  she  heard  the  report 
of  the  gun,  rushed  to  her  husband,  and,  seeing  him 
covered  with  blood,  fainted.  When  she  recovered, 
she  nursed  him  with  the  greatest  care.  It  was 
found,  however,  that  he  was  in  no  great  danger,  as 
the  wound  rapidly  healed.  The  Reformed  people  of 
Holland  were  deeply  grateful  to  providence  for  spar- 
ing their  prince  and  leader.  On  May  2  they  held  a 
solemn  thanksgiving  service  at  Antwerp  for  his  re- 
covery, at  which  both  William  and  Charlotte  were 
present. 

But  the  excitement  and  care  proved  too  much  for 
her.  Almost  immediately  after  that  thanksgiving 
service  she  collapsed.  She  became  sick  with  pleurisy 
and  died  in  a  few  days.  She  was  buried  in  that  beau- 
tiful cathedral  of  Notre  Dame  at  Antwerp.  The 
cathedral,  in  which  she  was  buried,  contains  many 
magnificent  masterpieces  of  paintings,  as  Rubens* 
''Descent  From  the  Cross"  and  his  ''Elevation  of  the 
Cross,"  but  none  of  these  masterpieces  come  up  to 
her  beauty  of  character,  for  her  life  was  a  living  pic- 
ture of  sacrifice  for,  and  consecration  to,  Christ.  The 
spire  of  that  cathedral  is  wondrously  beautiful,  be- 


112  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

ing  of  marble,  yet  so  delicately  carved  that  its  drap- 
ery makes  it  look,  says  one  writer,  as  if  the  Brussels 
lace  (for  which  Antwerp  was  so  famous)  had  been 
turned  into  marble  and  laid  on  it  as  a  tracery  ot 
white.  Her  character,  like  it,  pure  as  marble  and 
delicate  with  all  the  graces  of  spirituality,  soars 
heavenward  like  that  spire,  and  remains  a  loving 
witness  to  the  power  of  the  Reformed  faith.  She 
became  the  ancestress  of  kings,  her  daughter  marry- 
ing the  son  of  the  Elector  Frederick  III.  of  the  Pal- 
atinate, who  had  so  kindly  shielded  and  befriended 
her,  and  Queen  Victoria  of  England  is  thus  a  direct 
descendant  of  hers.  Thus  a  nun  became  a  Reform- 
ed, and  a  princess  became  the  mother  of  kings,  but 
she  is  now  a  saint  in  the  court  of  the  King  of  kings. 


VI. 

LOaiSA  DE  COLIGNY,  PRINCESS  OF  ORANGE. 


A  MONG  the  children  of  Admiral  Coligny  of 
•*^^.  France  was  Louisa.  Her  father  gave  her 
^^^  a  fine  education,  but  he  and  her  mother 
(whose  motto  was,  "As  for  me  and  my  house,  I  will 
serve  the  Lord^^)  gave  her  what  was  better,  the  Re- 
formed faith.  During  her  girlhood  her  father  was 
engaged  in  the  Huguenot  wars,  fighting  and  suffer- 
ing for  the  Reformed  faith,  yet  his  letters  to  her 
were  exceedingly  beautiful  and  sublimely  Christian. 
Among  his  officers  was  one  who,  although  young, 
possessed  so  much  wisdom  that  he  was  admitted  to 
the  councils  of  the  Huguenots,  Charles  De  Teligny. 
He  soon  became  a  suitor  for  Louisa^s  hand,  and  won 
it.  Her  father  gave  her  this  advice:  "You  have 
other  suitors,  rich  and  titled,  but  I  advise  you  to 
choose  Teligny  as  your  husband."  They  were  mar- 
ried at  Rochelle  in  1571.  Then  came  a  season  of 
peace  after  the  wars,  but  it  did  not  last  long.  For 
when  Henry  of  Navarre  was  to  wed  Margaret  of 
France,  Coligny  went  to  Paris  to  attend  the  wed- 
ding, attended  by  Teligny  and  Louisa.  Teligny  was 
warned  against  going  there  by  anonymous  letters, 

113 


114  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

but,  like  Coligny,  was,  alas !  too  confident.  At  mid- 
night, August  24,  1572,  the  church  bell  opposite  the 
Louvre  rang  out  the  signal  for  the  awful  massacre, 
and  25,000  Huguenots  in  Paris  alone  were  killed  or 
wounded.  Among  the  victims  of  this  awful  massacre 
were  both  Louisa's  father  and  husband.  Her  father 
was  brutally  killed  in  his  room.  Her  husband  man- 
aged to  escape  out  on  the  roof  with  Coligny's  minis- 
ter. Teligny  was  so  popular  that  one  of  the  guards, 
sent  to  kill  him,  had  not  the  heart  to  do  it.  But  the 
Duke  of  Anjou's  soldiers  then  came  up  and  put  him 
to  death. 

In  some  way  or  other  Louisa  managed  to  escape, 
how  it  is  not  known,  but  she  must  have  escaped  alone 
and  on  foot.  She  made  her  way  as  rapidly  as  pos- 
sible to  her  father's  castle  in  Chatillon  in  Burgundy, 
so  as  to  warn  her  step-mother  and  brothers  to  flee. 
It  seems  that  her  escape  was  so  rapid  that  she  arriv- 
ed there  before  the  news  of  the  massacre.  The  sad 
news  she  brought  was  like  a  thunderbolt  to  them. 
But  they  had  no  time  to  mourn,  only  to  flee,  and 
hardly  time  for  that.  They  deemed  it  safest  to  scat- 
ter in  the  flight.  Her  two  oldest  brothers  at  once 
fled  and  succeeded  in  escaping  safely,  as  did  her 
step-mother.    Louisa,  with  her  cousin,  fled  to  Gen- 


Louisa  De  Coligny,  Princess  of  Orange.     115 

eva.  But  her  youngest  brother,  a  boy  of  uncom- 
mon promise  and  the  pet  of  his  father,  was  in  some 
way  captured  and  taken  back  to  Paris.  Thus  Louisa, 
at  the  early  age  of  nineteen,  was  an  orphan,  a  widow, 
an  exile  and  in  poverty,  for  her  father's  property 
was  all  confiscated. 

She  remained  at  Geneva  and  Bern  for  a  while, 
but  finally  found  her  way  to  that  asylum  for  the  Hu- 
guenots at  Heidelberg,  where  she  was  most  cordi- 
ally received  by  Elector  Frederick  HI.  of  the  Pala- 
tinate. The  French  offered  her  her  property  if  she 
renounced  her  Reformed  faith,  but  like  Moses,  she 
preferred  poverty  to  all  the  riches  of  France.  At 
Heidelberg  she  met  Charlotte  De  Bourbon,  who  was 
also  an  exile  and  had  found  a  refuge  at  Heidelberg. 
They  were  one  in  suffering  and  sympathy.  Some 
time  after,  the  Duke  of  Anjou,  who  was  the  leade^ 
of  the  band  that  put  her  father  and  her  husband  to 
death,  passed  through  Heidelberg  on  his  way  to  take 
the  throne  of  Poland.  Elector  Frederick  was  con- 
ducting him  through  the  picture  gallery  of  kings, 
queens  and  princes  in  the  castle,  when  the  Elector 
pointed  to  Coligny's  portrait  and  asked  the  Duke  if 
he  knew  whose  it  was.  ''Yes,''  he  replied,  ''the  Ad- 
miral."   Frederick  could  no  longer  control  himself, 


ii6  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

but  said,  "It  is  he,  the  best  of  men,  the  wisest  and 
greatest  captain  of  Europe,  whose  children  I  have 
under  my  protection,  lest  the  dogs  of  France  should 
tear  them  to  pieces,  as  they  have  done  their  father/^ 
The  Duke  became  very  much  confused  under  these 
words,  as  well  he  might  be.  But  the  Elector  con- 
tinued, "Of  all  the  lords  of  France  whom  I  have 
known,  that  is  the  one  I  have  found  most  zealous  for 
the  glory  of  the  French  name,  and  I  am  not  afraid 
to  affirm  that  the  King  and  all  France  have  suffered 
in  him  a  loss  that  can  never  be  repaired."  The  Duke 
tried  to  apologize  for  the  assassination  of  Coligny  by 
suggesting  that  the  Huguenots  were  forming  a  con- 
spiracy at  the  time.  But  the  Elector  cut  him  short  by 
saying,  "We  know  all  about  that,  sir.*^ 

When  Charlotte  De  Bourbon,  the  wife  of  the 
Prince  of  Orange,  died,  that  Prince  in  1583  proposed 
marriage  with  Louisa.  She  had  been  a  widow  for 
eleven  years,  and  besides  was  poor.  But  that  Prince 
was  glad  to  accept  her  without  a  marriage  dower,  as 
she  was  the  daughter  of  Coligny.  So  they  were  mar- 
ried at  Antwerp,  April  12,  1583,  and  immediately  af- 
terward took  up  their  residence  at  Delft.  The  peo- 
ple of  Holland,  although  inclined  at  first  to  look  on 
the  marriage  with  France  with  suspicion,  soon  learn- 


Louisa  De  Coligny,  Princess  of  Orange.     117 

ed  to  love  her.  Her  personal  charms  and  her  polish- 
ed manners  made  for  her  hosts  of  friends.  Motley 
says,  ''She  was  a  small,  well-formed  woman,  with 
delicate  features,  exquisite  complexion  and  very 
beautiful  dark  eyes,  which  seemed  in  after  years  to 
be  dim  with  unshed  tears,  with  remarkable  powers 
of  mind  and  angelic  sweetness  of  disposition."  Miss 
Benger  says,  "She  possessed  more  firmness  of  char- 
acter and  mental  vigor  than  Charlotte  De  Bourbon." 
The  Dutch  people  had  reverenced  Charlotte,  and 
they  now  loved  Louisa.  On  February  28,  1584,  she 
had  a  son  born  to  her,  Prince  Frederick  Henry,  who 
afterwards  became  illustrious  as  the  Prince  of 
Orange  and  the  leader  of  the  Netherlands.  The  re- 
joicing of  the  Dutch  was  very  great  at  the  birth  of 
this  boy,  for  the  Prince's  children,  with  one  excep- 
tion, had  been  girls,  so  that  if  anything  had  happen- 
ed to  the  older  son,  Prince  Maurice,  there  would 
have  been  great  danger  to  the  state.  But  the  birth  of 
Louisa's  son  averted  this. 

But  Louisa  had  her  troubles  and  fears,  as  well  as 
her  joys.  She  was  afraid  her  husband  would  be  as- 
sassinated. This  had  been  attempted  in  1582,  and 
had  failed.  The  reward  that  the  King  of  Spain  had 
offered  for  his  life,  was  still  offered.     Her  fears 


ii8  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

proved  only  too  true.  For  the  man  who  was  to  per- 
form the  deed,  was  already  in  the  palace.  He  was  si 
Frenchman,  though  of  a  part  of  France  which  was 
under  Spanish  control.  In  the  hope  of  the  rich  re- 
ward, and  out  of  love  for  his  Romish  faith,  he  had 
meditated  on  the  deed  for  six  years.  He  came  to 
Delft,  May,  1584,  and  so  ingratiated  himself  into  the 
Prince's  service  that  he  became  one  of  his  confidential 
servants.  But  Louisa's  suspicions  became  aroused, 
for  woman's  eye  can  see  sharper  through  character 
than  man's,  and  she  asked  her  husband,  "Who  is 
that  sinister-looking  man,  and  what  does  he  want?" 
''He  wants  a  passport,  and  I  will  give  it  to  him,"  the 
Prince  replied.  Soon  after  the  Prince  left  the  dining 
hall  and  met  Gerard  in  the  hallway,  at  the  foot  ot 
the  stairs.  Gerard  held  the  passport  in  his  hand,  as 
though  waiting  for  the  Prince  to  sign  it,  but  his 
other  hand  held  a  pistol.  The  moment  William 
turned  his,  eyes  away  from  him,  he  sent  three  bullets 
crashing  through  his  body.  The  Prince  staggered 
under  the  mortal  wounds  and  cried  out  in  French, 
"O  my  God,  have  mercy  on  my  soul  and  upon  this 
poor  people."  One  of  the  Prince's  ushers  caught 
him  in  his  arms  and  set  him  on  the  stairs.  Louisa 
and  William's  sister,  the  Countess  of  Schwarzen- 


Louisa  De  Coligny,  Princess  of  Orange.     119 

burg,  were  at  his  side  immediately.  His  sister, 
thinking  him  dying,  asked  him  if  he  commended  his 
soul  to  Christ.  He  answered,  "Yes."  That  was  his 
last  word,  for  he  died  as  his  attendants  then  laid  him 
on  the  bed.  The  assassination  occurred  July  10, 
1584. 

Poor  Louisa  was  overcome  with  grief.  At  the 
early  age  of  thirty-two  she  was  twice  widowed.  The 
tragic  death  of  this  husband  recalled  to  her  most 
painfully  the  death  of  her  former  husband  and  her 
father  by  assassination.  She  lived  over  again  the 
terrible  massacre  of  St.  Bartholomew.  It  was  a 
terrible  ordeal,  yet  she  trusted  God  and  bore  her 
sorrow  with  a  beautiful  resignation.  "She  had," 
said  Maurier,  "the  advantage  to  be  sprung  from  the 
greatest  man  in  Europe,  and  to  have  had  two  hus- 
bands of  very  eminent  virtues,  the  last  of  whom  left 
behind  him  an  immortal  reputation.  But  she  like- 
wise had  the  misfortune  to  lose  them  all  three  by 
hasty  and  violent  deaths,  her  life  having  been  noth- 
ing but  a  continuous  series  of  afflictions,  able  to 
make  any  sink  under  them.  But  a  soul  like  hers  had 
resigned  itself  entirely  to  the  will  of  God."  Thus 
William  was  assassinated  a  little  over  two  years  af- 
ter the  first  attempt  at  assassination,  and  Louisa  was 


120  IV omen  of  the  Reformed  Chiirch. 

made  a  widow  after  being  married  only  a  year  and 
three  months,  being  left  with  a  babe  only  four  and  a 
half  months  old.  She  was  left  poor  and  without  the 
necessities  of  life.  "I  hardly  know/^  she  wrote  to 
her  husband's  brother,  Count  John  of  Nassau,  "how 
the  children  and  I  are  to  maintain  ourselves  accord- 
ing to  the  honor  of  the  house.''  The  Dutch  pro- 
vinces, however,  kindly  granted  her  a  yearly  allow- 
ance of  $4,000.  Thus  she  was  lifted  from  her  pre- 
vious penniless  condition  and  given  a  competence 
throughout  life.  She  had  many  cares,  for  the  educa- 
tion of  the  six  daughters  of  William's  previous  wife, 
the  oldest  of  whom  was  only  eight  years  old,  was 
committed  to  her.  This  duty  she  faithfully  fulfilled, 
so  that  it  was  said  she  so  stamped  her  own  character 
on  them  that  they  resembled  her  more  than  their 
own  mother. 

Meanwhile  great  political  changes  had  taken  place 
in  France.  King  Henry  of  Navarre  had  become 
King  of  France,  and  the  Reformed  had  the  right  of 
existence  according  to  the  edict  of  Nantes.  So 
Louisa  was  privileged  to  be  able  to  go  back  to  her 
native  land  in  1549.  On  a  Sunday  of  that  year,  she 
happened  to  meet  the  Duchess  of  Montpensier,  who 
at  the  massacre  of  St.  Bartholomew  had  distributed 


Louisa  De  Coligny,  Princess  of  Orange.     121 

badges  among  the  Catholics  for  exterminating  the 
Huguenots.  When  she  came  into  the  room,  Louisa 
left  it  abruptly,  because  she  could  not  stay  in  the 
presence  of  such  a  woman. 

But  Louisa's  path  was  not  all  clear  joy.  The  reli- 
gious controversies  broke  out  in  the  Netherlands 
between  the  Calvinists  and  the  Arminians.  Her 
own  pastor  became  involved  in  them.  For  when 
she  removed  to  The  Hague,  the  capital  of  Holland, 
in  1 59 1,  she  had  founded  a  French  Reformed  church 
there  and  had  as  her  pastor  the  celebrated  Utenbo- 
gard.  He  was  one  of  the  leaders  of  the  Arminian 
party,  and  so  Louisa's  sympathies  were  with  them 
in  the  controversy ;  at  least  she  desired  religious  tol- 
eration.  When  the  Dutch  government  ordered  all 
the  Arminians  or  Remonstrants  to  leave  the  land, 
she  interceded  for  them,  especially  for  Barneveld,  in 
the  interests  of  peace  and  of  religious  freedom.  The 
result  was  that  she  became  unpopular  among  the 
Dutch  people  and  no  longer  felt  at  home  among 
them.  So  after  a  stay  in  Holland  of  thirty-seven 
years,  she  decided  to  leave  Holland  and  go  to  her 
native  land  of  France.  And  so  unpopular  had  she 
become  on  account  of  the  religious  controversy,  that 
when  she  left,  the  populace  hissed  her  on  the  streets 


122  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

as  she  rode  away.  But  her  son,  Frederick  Henry, 
whom  she  left  behind  her  in  Holland,  afterwards  be- 
came the  ruler  of  Holland,  and  reintroduced  reli- 
gious freedom  and  allowed  the  Arminians  to  come 
back.  So  she  ultimately  gained  the  victory  for  her 
principles  of  freedom.  But  before  this  took  place, 
she  had  passed  to  her  reward.  She  lived  only  a  short 
time  after  she  went  back  to  France.  At  Fontain- 
bleau  she  became  sick.  When  it  was  known  that  she 
was  sick  unto  death,  the  Catholics  tried  their  best  to 
win  her  back  to  their  faith.  Cardinal  Richelieu,  the 
most  crafty  of  them  all,  was  sent  to  do  this.  When 
he  entered  her  chamber,  he  found  on  the  one  side  of 
it  the  Reformed  pastor  of  Fontainbleau,  Courcelles, 
and  on  the  other  side  a  devout  Protestant  lady. 
Richelieu  said,  "Madam,  take  care  of  your  soul.  You 
have  two  evil  spirits  beside  you."  And  then  he  pro- 
fessed deep  anxiety  for  her  soul  and  urged  her  to 
save  it  by  returning  to  the  Romish  Church.  .  But  the 
wily  cardinal,  who  knew  so  well  how  to  mould  his- 
tory, found  more  than  his  match  at  the  bedside  of 
this  Reformed  princess.  She  declared  herself  un- 
shaken in  the  principles  of  the  Reformed  faith,  and 
in  her  hope  of  heaven  and  salvation  through  Christ's 
merits,  and  she  therefore  now  asked  to  be  spared 


Louisa  De  Coligny,  Princess  of  Orange.     123 

such  intrusions  as  his,  which  brought  her  neither  se- 
curity nor  peace.  Richeheu  departed  defeated,  and 
the  Reformed  pastor,  Courcelles,  comforted  her  till 
she  died,  rejoicing  in  hope,  October  9,  1620.  Her 
body  was  embalmed  and  taken  to  Delft,  where  it  was 
laid  in  a  magnificent  tomb  with  her  husband. 
Through  her  son,  Frederick  Henry,  she  became  the 
ancestress  of  Electress  Louisa  Henrietta  of  Bran- 
denburg and  of  King  William  of  England.  "There 
never  was,''  says  Brandt,  "one  of  a  more  noble  soul 
or  a  truer  lover  of  justice  than  this  princess." 


Chapter  IV.— ITALY. 
I. 

DUCHESS  RENEE  OF  ESTE. 


IP  VEN  into  Italy,  the  land  of  the  Pope,  the  Re- 
•*"^  I  formation  also  spread.  One  of  its  protec- 
^^i  tors  there  was  the  Duchess  Renee  of  Este. 
She  was  not  Italian  by  birth,  but  French,  having 
been  born  at  Blois,  October  15,  15 10.  Her  parents 
had  earnestly  prayed  for  a  son  that  he  might  be  heir 
to  the  French  throne,  which  excluded  females  from 
becoming  heirs.  When,  therefore,  a  girl  was  born, 
they  were  greatly  disappointed  and  looked  upon  her 
as  an  innocent  intruder, — a  sort  of  female  Ichabod, 
showing  that  the  glory  had  departed  from  her  fath- 
er's house.  She  was,  therefore,  slighted,  and  some 
have  described  her  as  ugly,  and  even  as  a  hunch- 
back, which,  however,  is  probably  not  true.  But 
for  all  that  she  was  beautiful  in  character.  "Beauty 
is  that  beauty  does."  And  she  was  of  some  value, 
for  she  was  a  king's  daughter  and  her  hand  there- 
fore, was  eagerly  sought  for.  She  came  nearly  mar- 
rying the  young  prince,  who  later  became  Emperor 
Charles  V.  of  Germany.  Then  came  the  Duke  of 
Bouillon,  the  richest  man  in  France,  and  also  Car- 
dinal Woolsey,  who  asked  her  hand  for  King  Henry 

125 


126  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church, 

VIII.  of  England,  to  succeed  Catharine  of  Arragon. 

Renee  had  grown  up  a  double  orphan,  her  mothei 
dying  when  she  was  only  three  years  old,  and  her 
father  when  she  was  five.  Still  she  was  well  trained, 
under  the  care  of  Queen  Margaret  of  Navarre,  and  by 
Madame  Soubise,  her  governess.  Her  studies  were 
like  those  of  Margaret  of  Navarre,  and  one  of  her 
companions  was  Margaret  of  Angouleme,  who  be- 
came devoted  to  the  Reformed,  as  was  Madame  Sou- 
bise. Under  such  influences  she  early  inclined  to  the 
new  religion,  as  the  Reformed  was  then  called. 

The  summer  of  1528,  when  she  was  18  years  of 
age,  saw  her  married  to  Hercules,  Duke  of  Este, 
whose  home  was  at  Ferrara,  in  northern  Italy.  Her 
mother-in-law  was  the  famous,  or  rather  infamous, 
Lucretia  Borgia,  noted  for  her  brilliant  talents  and 
awful  wickedness.  It  was  a  political  marriage,  but 
Renee  went  to  Italy  to  be  a  faithful  wife.  Her  hus- 
band^s  court  was  a  literary  centre  and  he  invited 
many  men  of  letters  to  Ferrara,  and  published  their 
works.  The  court  artist  was  Titian,  and  the  elder 
Tasso  was  her  secretary.  Ariosto  and  Rabelais 
made  the  court  brilliant  by  their  genius  and  wit. 
Renee  brought  to  this  court  the  most  brilliant  gifts 
of  mind,  together  with  elegance  of  manners  so  com- 


Duchess  Renee  of  Este.  127 

mon  to  the  French.  She  inherited  all  the  virtues  of 
her  father,  joined  to  the  goodness  of  her  mother.  Al- 
though in  Italy,  she  still  remained  true  to  her  Re- 
formed religion,  and  for  it  she  was  harshly  treated 
by  her  husband.  As  early  as  1528  there  had  been  a 
Reformed  minister  at  Ferrara,  but  we  do  not  know 
whether  it  was  through  her  influence  or  not.  As 
her  father-in-law,  Duke  Alphonse  was  a  devoted 
Catholic,  she  could  surround  herself  with  Re- 
formed influences  only  in  indirect  ways.  She  se- 
lected as  tutors  of  her  children  several  persons  who 
were  Reformed.  Her  husband's  chief  physician, 
Manzolli,  was  Reformed.  His  works,  which  satir- 
ized the  vicious  life  of  the  clergy,  were  forbidden  by 
the  Pope  and  his  body  afterward  disinterred  and 
burned  for  heresy.  Some  of  the  professors  at  the 
university  at  Ferrara  were  Reformed.  Clement 
Marot,  the  hymn-writer  of  the  Reformed,  and 
Charles  D'Espeville,  whose  real  name  was  John  Cal- 
vin, graced  her  court  for  a  time.  Calvin  lectured  on 
religious  subjects,  it  is  said,  in  the  chapel  of  the  pal- 
ace, made  beautiful  by  Titian's  pictures;  and  the 
number  of  Reformed  increased  from  day  to  day. 

For  a  number  of  years,  she  had  been  permitted 
large   liberty  in  her  religious  efforts,  but  now  the 


128  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

suspicion  of  the  Romish  clergy  was  aroused.  A 
king's  daughter  had  Hberty  which  a  peasant's  child 
had  not,  but  the  time  came  when  the  terrible  inquisi- 
tion began  to  move.  Calvin,  after  a  stay  of  a  few 
months,  was  compelled  to  leave.  Her  husband  per- 
mitted the  arrest  of  Calvin  while  he  was  the  guest  of 
Renee.  She,  however,  arranged  for  an  assault  on 
the  men  who  were  taking  him  to  Bologna  for  trial, 
and  he  escaped  over  the  Alps.  Ochino,  too,  the  gen- 
eral of  the  Capuchin  order,  who  could  "make  stones 
weep,"  as  the  Emperor  Charles  V.  said,  was  con- 
demned to  death  for  heresy,  but  she  enabled  him  to 
escape  to  Geneva.  Her  husband  permitted  the  in- 
quisition to  fill  his  prisons  with  prisoners,  but  he 
could  not  prevent  his  wife  from  visiting  them  in 
their  distress.  At  last,  all  the  Reformed  were  driv- 
en away.  She  greatly  mourned,  in  a  letter  to  Mar- 
garet of  Navarre,  her  utter  isolation  in  Italy.  Still, 
by  correspondence  she  was  able  to  keep  in  touch 
with  her  Reformed  friends.  Her  correspondence 
with  Calvin  was  considerable.  The  Pope  visited  her 
in  1543  and  gave  her  a  costly  diamond  and  jewels, 
but  it  did  not  bribe  her  to  Romanism.  The  inquisi- 
tion, however,  surrounded  her  with  spies  and  gradu- 
ally the  little  Reformed  congregation    at    Ferrara 


Duchess  Renee  of  Este.  129 

dwindled,  until  in  1550  the  light  of  the  Reformed 
faith  was  extinguished  there. 

Having  destroyed  her  friends,  the  papists  now 
turned  to  destroy  her.  About  1552  a  Jesuit  was 
forced  on  her  as  chaplain,  but  the  Jesuit  found  Renee 
a  better  debater  than  himself,  and  reported  that  she 
was  obstinately  fixed  in  her  opinions.  Being  un- 
successful in  converting  her  to  Rome,  he  demanded 
of  the  Duke  that  he  exclude  her  from  all  society.  So 
ii^  1555  she  was  carried  by  night  to  the  castle  and 
placed  in  solitary  confinement.  No  books  or  visitors 
were  allowed  her,  and  her  younger  children  were 
placed  in  a  convent.  She  was  allowed  to  converse 
only  with  the  Jesuits.  Threatened,  abandoned  by  all 
near  to  her,  the  prey  to  fears,  she  weakened  and  re- 
ceived the  mass  and  the  Jesuits  boasted  of  her  con- 
version to  Rome.  Calvin  all  the  while  kept  in  touch 
with  her  by  correspondence,  trying  to  guide  her 
mind  aright,  and  to  strengthen  her  under  the  perse- 
cutions. In  1559  her  husband  died,  bequeathing  her 
a  fortune  as  long  as  she  remained  a  Catholic.  But 
Renee's  faith  was  not  dead,  although  her  sufferings 
for  it  were  enough  to  have  destroyed  many  another's 
faith.  She  again  spoke  out  boldly  for  her  Reformed 
religion.    Her  son,  forced  by  the  Pope,  gave  her  the 


130  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

alternative  of  becoming  a  Catholic  or  of  leaving 
Italy.  She  unhesitatingly  chose  the  latter.  And 
amid  great  m.ourning  on  the  part  of  the  people  of 
Ferrara  she  left  Italy. 

But  when  she  returned  to  France,  how  changed 
France  had  become  during  her  absence  of  thirty 
years.  Her  early  companions  were  almost  all  gone. 
She  determined,  therefore,  to  make  the  Huguenots 
her  friends,  and  throw  over  them  the  shield  of  her 
protection.  She  interceded  for  them  with  her  arch- 
enemy, Catharine  De  Medici,  corresponded  with 
Elizabeth,  queen  of  England,  pleading  for  them,  and 
encouraged  Jeanne  D'Albret.  Renee^s  earnestness 
for  the  Reformed  made  it  unsafe  for  her  to  stay  in 
Paris,  so  she  retired  to  her  ancestral  castle  at  Mon- 
targis,  which  she  made  an  asylum  for  the  persecuted 
Huguenots,  so  that  they  called  it  "Hotel  Dieu"  or 
the  ''Hotel  of  the  Lord.''  She  sheltered  hundreds  in 
it,  and  it  is  said  that  three  hundred  at  one  time  sat 
down  to  her  table. 

The  people  of  the  town  of  Montargis  were  bigoted 
Catholics,  and  in  their  hatred  of  things  Reformed 
they  raised  a  riot  against  the  castle,  but  were  de- 
feated by  soldiers  sent  by  the  Duke  of  Conde  from 
Orleans.    Finally  the  Duke  of  Guise,  her  son-in-law, 


Duchess  Renee  of  Este.  131 

but  the  leader  of  the  Catholic  party,  determined  to 
destroy  that  "nest  of  heretics"  at  Montargis,  and 
ordered  her  to  leave  the  castle,  as  the  king  required 
that  fort.  He  sent  Malicorne,  who  threatened  that 
if  she  would  not  deliver  up  the  castle,  he  would  bat- 
ter it  to  pieces  and  put  her  Reformed  ministers  to 
death.  Her  royal  blood  boiled  at  this.  "This  de- 
crepit, prematurely-old  woman,"  says  a  writer, 
"cowed  the  general  with  six  companies  of  soldiers 
at  his  back."  "Malicorne,"  she  said,  "consider  well 
what  you  do,  for  no  man  in  the  kingdom  has  a  right 
to  command  me  but  the  king,  and  if  you  advance  I 
will  put  myself  foremost  in  the  breach,  and  see 
whether  you  will  have  the  audacity  to  kill  a  king's 
daughter,  whose  death  heaven  and  earth  would 
avenge  on  you  and  your  seed,  even  to  the  children  of 
the  cradle."  Malicorne  retired  after  such  bravery  on 
her  part.  Doubtless  she  would  have  been  driven  out 
of  her  castle,  but  fortunately  for  her,  soon  after  the 
Duke  of  Guise  was  assassinated.  Her  great  interest 
in  the  Reformed  Church  is  shown  by  the  fact  that 
she  appeared  at  the  consistory  meetings  and  took 
part  in  the  proceedings.  Calvin  wrote  to  her,  re- 
monstrating with  her  for  this,  and  kindly  reminded 
her  that  Paul  forbids  women  to  exercise  ecclesiastl- 


132  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

cal  authority  (I  Cor.  14:34-35  and  I  Tim.  2:11-14). 
She  repHed  that  the  Queen  of  Navarre,  and  Admiral 
Cohgny's  wife,  and  the  mother-in-law  of  the  Prince 
of  Conde  had  done  the  same  thing,  but  that  she 
would  not  do  so  again.  In  her  activity  with  the 
consistory  she  but  foretold  by  her  action  the  present 
activity  of  women  in  the  Church.  When  Calvin  died 
she  greatly  mourned  his  death.  So  great  was  his 
regard  for  her  that  he  wrote  to  her  from  his  dying 
bed.  She  ever  cherished  his  memory  with  great 
veneration.  She  lived  to  see  the  awful  massacre  of 
St.  Bartholomew  in  1572.  Some  writers  think  that 
she  was  in  Paris  at  the  time,  but  it  is  not  likely,  or 
she  would  have  doubtless  been  killed.  Her  greatest 
sorrow  was,  that  her  daughter,  the  Duchess  of 
Guise,  who,  since  the  assassination  of  her  husband, 
had  all  the  tiger  nature  of  her  grandmother,  Lu- 
cretia  Borgia,  rise  up  within  her,  was  one  of  the 
foremost  in  bringing  about  the  slaughter  of  the  Hu- 
guenots. No  doubt  Renee,  with  her  usual  kindness, 
protected  and  saved  many  of  the  Huguenots  in  that 
massacre. 

She  died  at  Montargis,  greatly  mourned  by  the 
Huguenots,  June  12,  1575,  aged  about  65.  Her 
tomb  is  there,  with  the  arms  of  Ferrara  and  her 


Duchess  Renee  of  Este.  133 

cipher  surmounted  by  a  crown.  But  she  has  receiv- 
ed a  greater  crown,  even  a  heavenly,  with  the 
benediction  of  her  Lord,  who  could  say  of  her  life 
and  kindnesses  ''Well  done."  On  one  side  of  the 
inscription  are  the  lilies  of  France,  and  on  the  other 
the  ermine,  its  spotless  white  the  symbol  of  the  pur- 
ity of  her  character,  a  symbol,  too,  of  the  robe  she 
now  wears,  "washed  and  made  white  in  the  blood  of 
the  Lamb." 


II. 

OLYMPIA  MORATA. 

4'  jt^  \  NE  of  the  most  beautiful  characters  of  the 
L.^I^.Jl  Reformation  was  Olympia  Morata,  the 
Riil^^y  scholar  and  the  Christian.  Her  name  was 
classic,  Olympia,  but  her  spirit  revealed  all  the  old 
classic  genius  of  Greece,  baptized  by  the  sweetness 
of  Christianity.  She  was  by  birth  an  Italian,  one  of 
the  fruits  of  that  Italian  reformation,  which,  alas! 
was  crushed  in  its  bud  by  the  inquisition.  Her  fath- 
er was  tutor  of  the  two  sons  of  the  Count  of  Este  in 
northern  Italy,  and  she  was  born  at  Ferrara,  1526. 
Her  father,  Morato,  early  trained  her  in  the  classic 
languages,  which  were  then  rousing  such  a  furor  in 
Europe.  She  made  such  progress  in  them,  that  with- 
in a  few  months  she  was  able  to  speak  Latin  and 
Greek  easily.  When  she  became  twelve  years  of  age, 
her  fame  as  a  classic  scholar  was  already  noised 
abroad.  At  the  early  age  of  fourteen  she  composed 
a  defense  of  Cicero  in  answer  to  his  calumniators. 
She  was  considered  a  miracle — the  most  learned 
woman  in  Europe.  She  became  so  polished  and 
learned  that  when  Duchess  Renee  of  Este  sought  a 
companion  for  her  daughter  in  her  studies,  she 
chose  Olympia.     Thus  Olympiads  lot  was  cast  in 

135 


136  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

most  pleasant  circumstances — a  female  genius  living 
with  princes.  She  soon  became  the  idol  of  the  court 
that  was  filled  with  scholars.  She  delivered  lectures 
at  Ferrara  on  the  classic  authors  in  the  private  acad- 
emy of  the  Duchess. 

While  she  was  thus  living  in  the  palace,  the  doc- 
trines of  the  Reformation  began  to  show  themselves 
in  Ferrara.  Two  Germans,  named  Sinapius,  who 
taught  Greek  and  medicine  there,  had  brought  them 
from  Germany.  The  coming  of  Calvin  and  his  brief 
stay  there  strengthened  the  evangelical  influences. 
But  it  was  the  conversion  of  her  father  to  Protes- 
tantism that  most  influenced  her.  From  being  a  hu- 
manist, he  became  a  Protestant.  For  while  she  was 
in  the  court,  he  had  been  banished  from  Ferrara,  and 
settled  at  Vercelli.  There  he  happened  to  receive 
under  his  roof  a  Protestant  missionary  named  Celio, 
who  had  been  an  old  acquaintance.  Celio  returned 
his  kindness  by  leading  him  to  something  higher 
than  the  classics  (which  had  been  his  idol), — to 
Christ.  The  conversion  of  Morato  was  followed  by 
the  conversion  of  others  of  his  household.  Mean- 
while Olympia,  at  the  court  of  the  Duke  of  Este,  was 
still  idolizing  the  classics.  She  says  of  herself:  "I 
had  no  taste  for  divine  things.    The  reading  of  the 


Olympia  M  or  at  a.  137 

Old  and  New  Testaments  inspired  me  only  with  re- 
pugnance/^ But  in  the  midst  of  her  joys  and  honors, 
lo!  her  father  was  taken  sick  in  1548.  She  at  once 
left  the  court  and  went  to  nurse  him.  He  calmly 
waited  for  death,  bearing  a  beautiful  testimony  for 
Christ.  This  death  of  her  father  was  the  beginning 
of  her  life  of  many  sorrows.  Soon  after  his  death, 
her  companion,  the  princess  to  whom  she  had  been  a 
companion,  Anne  of  Este,  was  married,  and  she  had 
now  no  friend  at  court  to  defend  her  against  the  sus- 
picion of  being  a  Protestant.  She  was  compelled  to 
leave  the  court,  and  although  the  favorite  of  its  so- 
cial circle,  she  went  to  care  for  her  invalid  mother, 
three  sisters,  and  a  brother  yet  a  child.  Thus  she 
sacrificed  honor  and  position  for  the  gospel,  choos- 
ing, like  Moses,  rather  to  suffer  with  the  people  of 
God  than  to  enjoy  the  pleasures  of  sin  for  a  season. 
Among  the  strangers  vv^ho  had  come  to  the  uni- 
versity of  Ferrara  to  study  was  a  German,  named 
Andrew  Grunthler.  Through  Sinapius  he  had  heard 
of  Olympia.  He  learned  to  admire,  then  to  love  her. 
He  sued  for  her  hand,  and  was  accepted  and  they 
were  married  in  1549.  The  prayers  of  the  little  Re- 
formed church  of  Ferrara  went  up  for  this  young 
couple,  that  God's  blessing  might  rest  upon  them. 


138  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

She  wrote  a  hymn  on  the  occasion,  which  reads  like 
an  ode  of  Pindar,  only  it  had  a  Christian  instead  of 
a  pagan  theme  running  through  it.  It  reads  thus: 
"O  Almighty  God,  King  of  kings,  Creator  of  man 
and  woman.  Thou  who  gavest  to  the  first  man  a 
companion  that  the  race  of  mortals  might  not  perish ; 
Thou  who  hast  willed  that  the  soul  brought  out  from 
humanity  should  be  the  mystic  bride  of  Thine  own 
Son,  and  that  that  divine  Son  should  give  His  life 
for  her,  oh,  shed  peace  and  blessing  upon  these  two 
now  united  before  Thee.  Thy  law  is  the  nuptial 
couch  and  the  hymen  of  eternal  love." 

But  the  dangers  were  gathering  around  the  little 
Reformed  church  of  Ferrara.  The  Pope  would  not 
allow  a  Protestant  church  in  Italy.  Grunthler,  there- 
fore, prepared  to  leave  and  return  to  Germany,  to 
seek  a  place  in  some  university.  He  left  behind  him 
his  wife,  as  he  feared  that  the  journey  over  the  Alps 
in  the  cold  winter  would  be  too  severe  for  her.  He 
returned  several  months  afterward,  and  then  took 
her  with  him  away  from  Ferrara.  They  started  in 
June,  (1550),  accompanied  by  her  brother,  Emilio, 
aged  eight  years.  They  traveled  through  the  Tyrol, 
passing  the  imperial  army,  and  finally  arrived  safely 
at  Augsburg.    There  the  Fugger  brothers  were  the 


Olympia  Morata.  139 

rich  merchants,  who  led  the  trade  and  art  of  the  city. 
They  had  heard  of  Olympiads  fame.  They  gave  her 
a  splendid  welcome,  and  she  and  her  husband  had  a 
charming  sojourn  there.  They  then  went  to  Wurz- 
burg,  where  her  brother  had  an  accident,  in  which 
he  was  saved  from  death  by  a  seeming  miracle. 
While  playing  with  his  companion,  he  fell  suddenly 
from  an  elevated  gallery  headlong  on  the  rocks  be- 
low. They  thought  him  killed,  but,  strange  to  say, 
he  was  not  at  all  injured.  She  said  she  saw  in  it 
how  God  gives  His  angels  charge  over  those  who  are 
His  saints.  Then,  with  her  husband,  she  went 
(1551)  to  Schweinfurth,  whose  senate  called  him  as 
physician  to  the  Spanish  soldiers.  So  Olympia,  the 
great  classic  scholar,  was  compelled  to  let  her  talents 
blush  unseen  in  a  poor  country  village.  Her  stay, 
however,  was  made  pleasant  by  the  education  of  her 
brother  and  by  the  kindness  of  the  Protestants  of  the 
town,  especially  the  pastor.  Here  she  translated  into 
Greek  many  of  the  Psalms  and  attended  to  the  edu- 
cation of  her  brother. 

But,  alas!  the  place  that  they  expected  to  be  the 
refuge  for  them,  proved  to  be  the  place  of  greatest 
danger.  The  tide  of  war  swept  to  this  town.  Mar- 
grave Albert  of  Brandenburg  happened  to  choose 


140  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

Schweinfurth  as  the  place  in  which  to  defend  him- 
self against  the  Emperor.  The  neighboring  princes 
of  the  empire  combined  to  destroy  him.  Thus  the 
inhabitants  of  the  town  were  compelled  to  suffer 
most  terribly  for  a  quarrel  to  which  they  were 
strangers.  The  siege  began  April,  1553,  and  lasted 
fourteen  months.  It  was  a  terrible  experience.  The 
walls  and  houses  were  continually  battered  by  the 
enemy's  artillery.  The  citizens  feared  to  go  outside 
of  their  dwellings,  yet  met  death  sometimes  in  their 
houses.  Bands  of  the  enemy  would  at  times  over- 
run the  town,  and  forcing  themselves  into  the 
houses,  would  compel  the  owners  to  give  them  their 
money.  These  scenes  became  more  terrible  every 
day.  Famine  added  its  horrors  to  war,  and  pesti- 
lence followed  famine,  until  it  cut  off  one-half  of  the 
population.  In  the  midst  of  all  these  horrors  her 
courage  did  not  forsake  her.  She  wrote:  "Under 
the  weight  of  so  many  evils  we  have  found  consola- 
tion only  in  prayer  and  meditation  upon  the  holy 
Word.''  Her  husband  caught  the  fever,  and,  alas! 
all  his  medicines  with  which  to  allay  it  were  exhaust- 
ed. It  seemed  as  if  nothing  short  of  a  miracle  could 
save  him.  Olympia  went  to  One  who  was  better 
than  medicine — the  hearer  and  answerer  of  prayer. 


Olympia  Morata.  141 

Her  prayers  were  answered,  and,  lo !  her  husband 
was  saved.  This  gave  her  courage.  The  Lord,  who 
had  cared  for,  and  spared,  her  husband,  would  cer- 
tainly care  for  them  in  the  siege. 

But  the  terrors  of  the  war  became  worse  and  worse. 
The  enemy  outside  were  angered  by  the  bravery 
of  the  defenders.  A  rain  of  fire  seemed  to  descend 
on  the  town  at  night.  The  houses  afforded  no  safety 
for  the  inmates.  They  were  compelled  to  seek  re- 
fuge in  the  bowels  of  the  earth.  Olympia,  with  her 
husband  and  brother,  spent  several  weeks  in  the 
depth  of  an  obscure  cave,  afraid  to  go  out.  Finally 
the  Margrave,  seeing  defeat  before  him,  suddenly 
evacuated  the  town  in  the  middle  of  the  night.  The 
enemy  came  in,  but  the  citizens  found  that  they 
brought  no  relief,  only  worse  oppressions.  For  they 
pillaged  the  town  and  set  it  on  fire.  Fearful  were 
the  scenes  in  the  town.  The  people  pressed  to  the 
gates  to  escape,  only  to  be  driven  back  and  con- 
demned to  perish.  Some  made  their  own  funeral 
preparations  in  their  homes.  Some  fell  on  their 
knees,  trying  to  soften  the  hard,  cruel  hearts  of  the 
enemy,  but  in  vain.  Others  ran  toward  the  church 
as  the  asylum  of  safety,  only  to  perish  in  the  build- 
ing, as  it  fell  in  the  conflagration.    Olympia  and  her 


142  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

family  were  drawn  into  the  crowd  that  was  surging 
toward  the  church,  where  they  would  have  perished, 
when  a  soldier  bade  them  flee  or  they  would  be 
buried  under  the  ashes  of  the  town.  They  followed 
this  mysterious  guide  sent  from  heaven  to  save  them, 
and  he  led  them  by  a  circuitous  route  beyond  the 
walls.  As  they  looked  back,  they  saw  the  flames 
mounting  up  to  heaven  and  the  houses  crackling  un- 
der the  heat.  They  hurried  on  and  began  to  think 
themselves  safe,  when  they  were  attacked  by  a  band 
of  soldiers,  plundered  of  all  they  had,  and  her  hus- 
band was  taken  away  a  prisoner.  In  her  great  dis- 
tress she  cried  unto  the  Lord,  "Help  me,  help  me, 
for  the  love  of  Thy  name."  Exceedingly  sad  was 
her  condition  when  she  escaped  from  this  danger. 
She  had  lost  her  shoes,  her  hair  was  dishevelled,  and 
her  clothes  in  tatters,  with  hardly  a  garment  to  cover 
her.  During  that  awful  night  she  traveled  more  than 
ten  miles.  She  arrived  at  the  village  of  Hamelburg, 
comparing  herself  to  the  "queen  of  beggars,"  for  she 
entered  it  with  a  borrowed  dress,  pale,  emaciated 
and  sick  with  the  fever.  The  citizens  of  Hamelburg 
did  not  dare  keep  them  long,  for  fear  of  the  enemy. 
So,  although  she  was  so  ill  that  she  was  hardly  able 
to  walk,  she  was  compelled  to  leave.     As  they  fol- 


Olympia  Morata.  143 

lowed  the  banks  of  the  river,  the  gravel  and  stones 
cut  her  bare  feet,  until  she  cried  out  in  agony,  "I  can 
go  no  farther.  I  am  dying.  Lord,  if  Thou  wilt, 
save  me;  command  Thine  angels  to  bear  me  on 
their  wings.^^  At  the  next  town  she  came  to,  the  lieu- 
tenant had  been  ordered  to  put  all  the  refugees  to 
death.  But  as  the  bishop  happened  to  be  absent,  he 
gave  them  a  little  respite,  till  he  returned,  mean- 
while keeping  them  in  suspense  between  life  and 
death.    He  finally  let  them  go. 

Then  the  favor  of  heaven  began  again  to  shine  on 
them.  An  unknown  nobleman,  touched  with  their 
sufferings,  gave  them  fifteen  gulden  of  gold.  With 
it  they  were  able  to  work  their  way  to  Erbach  in  the 
Palatinate,  whose  count  was  so  pious  that  a  minister 
in  the  neighboring  town  declared  that  he  learned 
more  in  a  few  days  than  in  six  years  at  Wittenberg 
University.  When  at  last  she  found  a  safe  asylum, 
Olympia  broke  down  completely.  She  was  crushed. 
At  one  blow  she  had  lost  her  husband's  fortune,  and 
also  the  books,  which  had  been  brought  at  great  ex- 
pense from  Italy,  all  of  which  fell  a  prey  to  the 
flames  at  Schweinfurth.  The  fever  which  had  been 
in  her,  now  burst  forth  at  its  height.  She  was,  how- 
ever, very  tenderly  cared  for  by  one  of  the  noble 


144  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

families  of  the  Palatinate,  the  Count  of  Erbach.  The 
Countess  gave  to  her  the  care  of  a  sister,  and  when 
she  again  became  convalescent,  she  was  greatly 
pleased  to  find  that  her  brother  was  now  opening  his 
heart  to  the  Reformed  faith.  She  found  a  religious 
atmosphere  in  that  noble  family,  as  the  Count  had 
family  worship  in  his  home,  and  daily  visited  his 
people,  exhorting  them  to  piety.  The  Count  used 
his  influence  to  have  her  husband,  who  had  arrived 
there  safely,  too,  appointed  as  a  professor  at  Heidel- 
berg. He  succeeded  in  having  him  appointed  by  the 
Elector  of  the  Palatinate,  and  they  left  Erbach  for 
Heidelberg. 

On  the  way  a  pleasant  little  incident  occurred.  One 
evening  they  came  to  an  inn,  where  the  schoolmaster 
and  his  pupils  had  come  to  give  a  concert.  His  pupils 
did  not  do  very  well — in  fact,  broke  down.  Olympia 
at  once  rose  with  her  charming  grace,  and  went  to 
them,  encouraging  them  and  helping  them.  The 
schoolmaster  was  greatly  surprised  that  she  should 
know  the  pieces  of  the  children.  He  talked  with  the 
visitors  long  afterward.  And  when  he  found  out 
that  it  was  Professor  Grunthler  and  his  famous  wife 
Olympia,  he  ran  to  his  house  to  bring  some  pieces 
set  to  music  by  Grunthler,  which  he  often  sang  in  his 


Olympia  Morata.  145 

family.  He  was  greatly  pleased  to  meet  their 
author. 

Two  days  later  they  arrived  at  Heidelberg,  Au- 
gust, 1 554,  and  found  there  a  very  agreeable  home,  as 
Heidelberg  was  not  only  beautiful  for  situation,  but 
it  had  become  a  great  seat  of  learning.  There,  too, 
they  found  old  friends  in  Sinapius,  her  former  teach- 
er of  Greek,  and  Curione,  who  gave  them  a  cordial 
welcome.  She  and  her  husband  were,  however,  very 
poor  indeed,  and  had  to  borrow  twenty  florins  of 
gold  to  meet  the  expenses  of  the  first  month.  While 
her  husband  lectured  on  medicine,  she  was  compelled 
to  attend  to  household  duties.  Leodius  has  spread  a 
report  that  Olympia  was  called  to  Heidelberg  as  pro- 
fessor and  became  a  female  lecturer  there.  There  is 
no  question  but  she  would  have  graced  such  a  posi- 
tion with  her  genius.  But  she  makes  no  reference 
to  lecturing  in  any  of  her  letters,  neither  do  the  acts 
of  the  university  speak  of  any  connection  of  her  with 
the  university.  Her  name  is  only  once  mentioned  in 
its  acts,  and  then  her  poems  are  referred  to. 

She  kept  up  a  large  correspondence.  The  destruc- 
tion of  the  little  Reformed  church  of  Ferrara  by  the 
Pope  caused  her  great  sorrow.  Some  of  its  members 
were  put  into  chains,  some  sent  into  exile,  and  others 


146  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

found  safety  in  flight.  The  temporary  apostasy  of 
her  dear  friend,  Duchess  Renee,  caused  her  pain. 
Her  companion,  Anna  of  Este,  had  become  the  head 
of  the  house  of  Guise  in  France,  who  so  terribly  per- 
secuted the  Reformed  there.  She  wrote  thus  to 
Anna,  pleading  for  them :  "Since  the  Lord  has  hon- 
ored you  with  so  great  a  blessing  as  knowledge  of 
the  truth,  you  cannot  be  ignorant  of  the  innocence  of 
these  men  who  are  every  day  dragged  to  the  scaf- 
fold, and  who  are  exposed  to  cruel  torments  for  the 
cause  of  Christ.  It  is  your  duty  to  intercede  for 
them.  If  you  remain  silent,  and  allow  them  to  suf- 
fer and  die  without  defence,  you  are  becoming  the 
accomplice  of  their  persecutors.  I  know  that  in 
pleading  their  cause  you  may  provoke  the  anger  of 
the  king  and  the  fury  of  your  enemies.  I  answer,  it 
is  better  to  be  exposed  to  the  hatred  of  men  than  that 
of  God.  "If  God  is  for  us,  who  can  be  against  us?" 
The  result  of  her  plea  was,  that  for  years  after,  the 
only  one  in  the  French  court  who  dared  to  lift  up  her 
voice  against  the  persecutions  was  Anna  of  Este. 

Olympia  was  also  busy  with  the  education  of  her 
brother  Emilio.  She  taught  him  the  classics.  But 
it  was  especially  the  Bible  that  she  delighted  to  open 
to  him.    That  was  her  consolation  in  those  days  of 


Olympia  Morata.  147 

poverty  and  weakness.  She  had,  however,  Httle  time 
for  the  study  of  Hterature,  as  her  time  was  taken  up 
with  household  duties.  She  was,  however,  not  per- 
mitted to  Hve  long  in  this  delightful  home.  Her  suf- 
ferings during  the  siege  at  Schweinfurth  and  her 
flight  had  so  weakened  her  that  she  did  not  seem  able 
to  rally.  The  danger  increased  when  the  plague  broke 
out  in  June,  1555,  at  Heidelberg.  By  July  she  had 
become  so  weak  that  her  life  was  despaired  of.  She 
felt  that  she  would  not  get  well.  Writing  to  Cur- 
ione,  she  says :  ''As  for  me,  I  grow  weaker  day  by 
day.     The  fever  never  leaves  me  for  an  hour." 

Her  death  was  radiant  with  hope.  It  was  a  mount 
of  transfiguration.  She  felt  not  the  pangs  of  death, 
but  its  joy  and  bliss.  To  her  the  Lord  had  taken 
away  the  sting  from  death  and  left  only  the  honey. 
She  saw  heaven  before  she  got  there.  A  few  hours 
l^efore  her  death  she  awoke  from  a  sleep  and  smiled 
most  beautifully.  When  asked  the  cause  of  so  sweet 
a  smile,  she  said,  'T,  in  a  dream,  saw  a  place  illumin- 
ed by  the  purest,  most  beautiful,  brilliant  light."  Her 
husband  answered,  "Courage,  my  well  beloved;  you 
will  soon  dwell  in  the  midst  of  that  pure  light.''  She 
smiled  and  nodded  assent.  Soon  after  her  sight  fail- 
ed. *T  can  see  no  longer,"  she  said  to  her  husband, 
"but  all  that  surrounds  me  seems  decked  withbeauti- 


148  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

ful  flowers."  These  were  her  last  words.  She  im- 
mediately fell  into  a  sleep  and  passed  away.  She  died 
October  25,  1555,  at  the  early  age  of  29  years.  But 
though  she  died  so  young,  she  had  gained  the  fame, 
and  passed  through  the  sorrows,  of  a  long  lifetime. 
Great  was  the  sorrow  of  Protestants  everywhere — 
in  France,  Switzerland  and  Germany — at  her  death. 
The  plague  continued  its  terrible  ravages.  Her  hus- 
band, dazed  with  grief  at  the  loss  of  his  wife,  now 
went  everywhere,  recklessly  exposing  himself  as  a 
physician  to  the  awful  plague.  He  did  not  care  to  live, 
since  she  did  not.  He  seemed  to  be  courting  death. 
And  death  came  to  him  within  a  month  after  her 
death.  Emilio  also  fell  a  victim.  All  three  of  this 
interesting  family  are  buried  in  the  historic  St.  Pe- 
ter's church  at  Heidelberg,  where  to-day  the  traveler 
can  read  this  inscription :  "In  the  name  of  the  eter- 
nal God  and  to  the  memory  of  Olympia  Fulvia  Mor- 
ata,  the  beloved  wife  of  Andreas  Grunthler.  Her 
remarkable  attainments  in  several  languages,  the 
marvelous  purity  of  her  life  and  her  piety  elevate 
her  above  her  sex.  The  witness  of  her  life  was  even 
surpassed  by  that  of  her  death.  Peaceful,  happy  and 
holy  she  died  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  MDLV.,  aged 
xxix.  years,  in  a  strange  land.  Here  she  lies  with 
her  husband  and  her  brother  Emilio." 


PART  II 

Women  of  the  Seventeenth  Century 

Chapter  i.— GERMANY. 
I. 

ELLCTRESS  ELIZABETH  OF  THE  PALATINATE. 

iTT"  OT  SO  well  known  as  the  famous  Queen  Bess 
^        of  England,  but  far  more  beautiful  was  her 
namesake  and  relative,  Princess  Elizabeth, 


the  daughter  of  King  James  I.  of  England,  yet  her 
lot  became  as  sad  as  she  was  beautiful.  The  sad  fate 
of  her  family,  the  Stuarts,  seemed  to  hang  over  her. 
She  became  the  unfortunate  Queen  of  Bohemia,  the 
"paschal  lamb"  of  the  Thirty  Years'  War. 

She  was  born  August  19,  1596,  at  the  palace  at 
Falkland,  Scotland.  Her  early  life  was  made  happy 
by  an  idolized  brother,  Henry,  who  instilled  into  her 
young  mind  an  antipathy  to  Rome,  which  was  only 
intensified  as  she  afterwards  suffered  so  much  from 
Romish  powers.  She  was  sent  to  school  at  Combe 
Abbey.  When  there  she  was  hurried  away  when  the 
gunpowder  plot  (1605)  was  discovered,  because  the 
conspirators  hoped  to  capture  her  and  force  her  to  be- 
come queen.  When  the  danger  was  over,  she  wrote  to 
her  brother  a  little  note  which  concluded  with  this  ex- 

.     149 


150  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

pression:  "If  God  be  for  us,  who  can  be  against 
us  ?"  At  that  time  a  lad  of  nine  years  sent  her  from 
the  continent  a  note  of  congratulation  on  her  safety. 
He  was  the  little  Count  Frederick  of  the  Palatinate, 
who  afterwards  became  her  husband.  He  declared 
in  this  note  that  he  believed  that  that  wicked  con- 
spiracy proceeded  from  the  direct  agency  of  Anti- 
Christ.  Later  she  wrote  to  her  guardian  a  poem  in 
which  she  seems  to  have  caught  the  devotional  spirit 
of  Lady  Jane  Grey.  When  she  was  sixteen  years 
old,  Frederick  sued  for  her  hand.  It  was  deemed 
wise  to  unite  two  such  prominent  and  Reformed 
powers  as  England  and  the  Palatinate  in  marriage. 
So  on  October  16,  161 2,  Prince  Frederick  embarked 
for  England  to  receive  his  bride.  The  Protestants 
in  England  were  very  glad  for  the  marriage  of  their 
beautiful  princess  to  Frederick;  although  the  Catho- 
lics opposed  it,  and  Elizabeth^s  mother  never  lost  an 
opportunity  to  remind  her  that  she  was  marrying 
beneath  her  station  by  calling  the  Palatinate  Prince 
Frederick  "Goody  Palsgrave."  Elizabeth  promptly 
replied,  "I  would  rather  espouse  a  Protestant  count 
than  a  Catholic  emperor.*'  It  happened  that  just  as 
Frederick  arrived  in  England,  Prince  Henry,  the 
heir  to  the  throne  and  the  idol  of  the  people,  died.  So 


Elcctrcss  Elkahcth  of  the  Palatinate.       151 

most  fortunately  Frederick  came  to  England  to  take 
her  brother's  place  with  Elizabeth.  And  the  nation 
seemed  to  transfer  its  interest  from  the  dead  prince 
to  Frederick. 

They  were  married  on  Valentine's  Day,  1613,  with 
great  pomp.  Dressed  in  a  gorgeous  robe  of  white 
and  silver,  studded  with  diamonds,  a  crown  of  gold 
on  her  head,  her  long  hair  woven  with  pearls  and 
diamonds,  her  train  carried  by  thirteen  young  ladies 
dressed  in  white,  she  was  married  to  the  prince.  The 
Archbishop  of  Canterbury  married  them,  and  a  ser- 
mon was  preached  by  the  Bishop  of  Bath  and  Wells 
on  the  wedding  at  Cana.  After  the  wedding  Fred- 
erick visited  Cambridge  and  Oxford,  where  he  was 
received  with  great  honor,  and  then  prepared  to  take 
his  bride  back  to  his  own  land.  Their  journey 
through  Holland  and  up  the  Rhine  seemed  a  tri- 
umphal entry.  Reception  followed  reception.  At 
Amsterdam  from  her  barge  to  the  carriage  she  pass- 
ed over  a  bridge  richly  carpeted,  while  on  the  front 
of  the  exchange  was  a  beautiful  arch,  on  which  she 
was  represented  as  Thetis,  the  goddess  mother  ol 
Achilles.  Every  day  there  were  military  displays, 
so  that  her  bridal  journey  seemed  a  victorious  march. 
At  Dusseldorf  her  husband  had  provided  a  yacht  on 


152  Women  of  the  Refo'rmed  Church. 

which  she  was  to  sail  up  the  beautiful  Rhine  to  Hei- 
delberg. When  she  arrived  at  the  Palatinate,  she 
was  received  by  the  towns  of  Oppenheim  and  Fran- 
kenthal  with  great  rejoicing  and  honor.  She  arrived 
at  Heidelberg  on  a  beautiful  day  in  June.  Almost 
all  the  Protestant  nobility  of  Germany  was  there  to 
welcome  her;  and  as  they  came  with  large  retinues 
of  followers,  Heidelberg  was  full  of  gaiety  and 
splendor.  The  Princess  arrived  before  the  city,  hav- 
ing 374  in  her  company,  among  them  English  nobles, 
as  the  Earl  of  Arundel  and  Lord  Lenox.  As  she 
proceeded  to  the  castle  in  a  carriage  with  eight 
horses,  the  streets  were  strewn  with  green-sward  and 
the  roofs  crowned  with  boughs  of  May.  Along  the 
walls  were  hung  festoons  of  flowers.  The  next  day 
the  court  preacher,  Scultetus,  preached  a  sermon, 
and  for  twelve  days  the  festivities  continued.  They 
were  closed  June  18,  1613,  by  a  sermon  by  Scultetus 
on  the  subject  of  thanksgiving,  based  on  the  119th 
Psalm.  Nearly  300,000  pounds  were  spent,  and  5,- 
500  persons  dined  every  day  at  the  castle. 

And  now  began  her  happiest  days.  Her  *'honey- 
moon"  lasted  five  years.  This  beautiful  castle,  which 
provoked  the  wonder  of  the  English  visitors,  had 
been  enlarged  by  the  English  building  and  the  thick 


Elect ress  Elhaheth  of  the  Palatinate.       153 

tower  at  the  west  end,  built  by  Frederick  for  his  Eng- 
lish bride.  He  also  laid  out  the  rough  wild  moun- 
tain back  of  the  castle  into  a  most  beautiful  garden — 
a  blooming  paradise  where  she  might  rest  and  enjoy 
herself.  Here  in  summer,  oranges  and  limes  spread 
their  fragrance.  Here  was  an  English  orchard,  there 
a  mulberry  grove.  Beautiful  beds  of  many  tinted 
flowers  varied  the  view.  From  the  edge  of  the  pre- 
cipices fell  an  artificial  waterfall,  while  silvery 
streams  of  water  would  flow  when  bidden  through 
the  garden,  and  as  they  flowed,  musical  symphonies, 
supposed  to  be  breathed  by  naiads,  fell  on  her  ears. 
There  were  grottoes  from  which  issued  streams  of 
melody.  The  beauties  of  the  garden  were  so  great 
that  King  Louis  XIV.  of  France  became  jealous  lest 
it  would  eclipse  the  splendor  of  his  gardens  at  Ver- 
sailles. Here  passed  the  happiest  years  of  her  life. 
Her  happiness  seemed  to  culminate  when  in  161 9 
she  became  a  queen,  for  her  husband  was  elected 
king  of  Bohemia.  Her  mother  could  no  longer  sneer 
at  her  for  marrying  only  a  prince,  for  she  was  now  a 
queen.  She  gained  the  coveted  rank,  but  alas, 
heavy  hangs  the  head  that  wears  a  crown.  But 
she  was  ready  for  it,  for  she  writes  to  her  husband, 
when  he  accepted  the  throne,  '1  shall  not  repine, 


154  IV omen  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

whatever  consequences  may  ensue,  not  even  though 
I  should  be  forced  to  part  with  my  last  jewel/' 

The  time  had  now  come  when  Queen  Elizabeth 
was  to  set  out  for  Prague,  to  ascend  the  throne  of 
Bohemia.  Her  departure  from  Heidelberg  was  om- 
inous of  her  future  sorrows.  The  day  before  she  left 
was  Sunday.  She  attended  service  on  that  day,  and 
her  chaplain,  by  a  curious  coincidence,  preached  on 
the  text :  "Go  to  now,  ye  that  say  to-day  or  to-morrow 
we  will  go  into  such  a  city  and  buy  and  sell,  and  get 
gain,  whereas  ye  know  not  what  shall  be  on  the  mor- 
row,'' etc.  Strange  to  say,  "the  year^'  in  that  text  was 
fulfilled,  for  she  remained  just  a  year  as  queen  in  Bo- 
hemia before  unexpected  disasters  came  upon  her. 
When  she  arrived  at  the  Bohemian  border  with  her 
husband,  she  was  received  with  great  honor.  Her 
journey  reminded  her  of  her  triumphal  bridal  jour- 
ney up  the  Rhine  a  few  years  before.  Her  beauty 
and  rank  seemed  to  dazzle  the  Bohemians.  At  Wald- 
sach  the  women  and  children  gathered  around  her, 
touching  the  hem  of  her  garment,  or  prostrating 
themselves  before  her  as  if  she  were  some  new  di- 
vinity. Her  journey  was  completed  and  crowned  by 
a  magnificent  triumphal  procession  into  Prague,  Oc- 
tober 21,    1620.      "Never,''    says    her    biographet, 


Electress  Elizabeth  of  the  Palatinate.       155 

"'since  the  days  of  St.  Elizabeth  has  any  princess  in- 
spired sentiments  of  such  impassioned  affection  in 
the  people  of  Prague.  The  horses  of  her  carriage 
were  adorned  with  housings  of  gold  and  silver,  and 
she  sat  under  a  canopy  of  gold  and  silver  not  more 
splendid  than  becoming  to  her  fair  complexion.^^  Hei 
husband  was  crowned  November  3,  and  three  days 
later  she  was  also  crowned  in  great  state.  Amid 
music  she  approached  the  chancel  of  the  Hussite 
church,  and  knelt  to  receive  the  crown  of  Bohemia. 
The  Administrator  of  Bohemia,  who  crowned  her, 
preached  a  long  sermon,  which  he  closed  with  the 
wish  that  "the  piety  of  the  new  queen  might  be  re- 
warded with  the  longevity  of  Sarah,  that  in  all  her 
undertakings  she  might  be  prosperous  as  the  beauti- 
ful Rebecca,  that  she  should  prevail  over  her  enemies 
like  the  intrepid  Judith,  and  be  meek  and  magnani- 
mous like  Queen  Esther,  and  that  finally  she  might 
be  persevering  like  the  Queen  of  Sheba  in  the  search 
of  truth  and  wisdom,  and  above  all,  be  crowned  with 
spiritual  gifts  like  the  blessed  Salome,  who  had  been 
chosen  and  solemnly  approved  by  the  Savior  of  the 
world."  He  then  solemnly  crowned  her  as  the  walls 
resounded  with  the  shouts,  ''Long  live  Queen  Eliza- 
beth." 


156  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

But,  like  her  husband,  she  soon  found  that  heavy 
hes  the  head  that  wears  a  crown.  She  found  it  diffi- 
cult to  retain  the  adoration  of  the  Bohemians.  Her 
ignorance  of  the  Bohemian  language  separated  her 
from  them  as  if  by  a  Chinese  wall.  The  customs  of 
her  court  were  so  different  from  theirs.  They  were 
simple,  rude  country  people,  while  her  court  had  the 
levity  of  French  manners.  So  social  customs  soon 
clashed.  As  an  illustration  of  this,  the  story  is  told 
that  soon  after  her  arrival,  the  wives  of  some  of  the 
citizens  of  Prague  presented  her  with  a  testimonial 
which  consisted  of  some  specimens  of  their  baking, 
as  cakes  and  bread.  These  they  brought  crammed 
rudely  together  in  a  bag.  The  queen  returned  to 
them  her  thanks,  but  alas !  her  courtiers  treated  the 
kind  givers  with  scant  courtesy.  A  page  mocked  at 
the  gift  by  seizing  one  of  the  loaves  of  bread  and 
twisting  it  into  fantastic  shapes,  and  putting  it  on 
his  head  like  a  wreath.  The  rest  followed  his  ex- 
ample, and  the  poor  Bohemians  went  away  with 
their  feelings  hurt.  Her  religious  views  also  alienat- 
ed some  of  them.  Like  the  Reformed,  she  disliked 
crosses  and  crucifixes.  Now  the  Bohemians  had  a 
great  crucifix  on  the  bridge  over  the  Moldau,  which 
they  looked  up  to  as  a  patron  saint.  She  was  charged 


Electress  Elisabeth  of  the  Palatinate.       157 

with  avoiding  that  bridge,  so  as  not  to  pass  the  cru- 
cifix. 

These  troubles  were  but  the  preparation  for  dark- 
er days  to  follow.  Her  husband  was  called  away  to 
the  army,  which  was  to  protect  Prague.  He  soon 
saw  the  dangers  that  hovered  over  them,  and  wfote 
to  her  that  if  she  felt  afraid,  she  should  leave  Prague, 
but  she  nobly  refused  to  leave  him  behind.  Though 
heartsick  and  anxious,  she  had  to  preserve  the  mask 
of  outward  joy  and  pleasantry  to  her  court  and  the 
people.  Finally  her  husband's  army  was  defeated  on 
Sunday,  November  8,  162 1,  just  outside  of  the  city 
of  Prague.  She  was  attending  church  service,  when 
the  battle  began,  and  the  minister  had  just  read, 
''Render  unto  Caesar  the  things  that  are  Caesar's," 
etc.,  when  the  thunder  of  the  cannon  shook  the 
church,  and  the  minister  left  the  pulpit  and  with  the 
congregation  rushed  to  the  city  walls  to  view  the 
battle.  Frederick  hastily  put  her  in  a  carriage  and 
sent  her  to  the  citadel  for  safety.  And  now  began 
her  woes,  that  like  wave  upon  wave  went  over  her. 
The  next  morning  at  nine  o'clock  he  brought  her 
carriage,  that  she  might  escape.  As  she  entered  it, 
never  again  to  return  to  Prague,  one  of  her  admir- 
ers, young  Count  Thurm,  offered  to  defend  the  cit- 


158  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

adel  for  a  few  days,  in  order  that  she  might  make 
good  her  escape.  But  she  nobly  forbade  this,  saying, 
''Never  shall  the  son  of  our  best  friend  hazard  his 
life  to  spare  my  fears.  Rather  let  me  perish  than  be 
remembered  as  a  curse  to  this  city." 

Over  terrible  roads  Elizabeth  and  her  husband  fled 
to  Breslau.  Sometimes  the  road  became  impassable 
and  she  had  to  get  out  and  ride  on  horseback  in  the 
cold,  wintry  weather.  A  terrible  snow-storm  came 
up.  Finally  they  arrived  safely  at  Breslau,  but  the 
reception  by  the  inhabitants  was  as  chilly  as  the 
weather.  It  was  evident  she  could  not  stay  there, 
but  where  should  she  go  for  safety?  She  wrote  to 
her  father.  King  James  of  England,  begging  him  for 
help,  saying  that  if  he  forsook  her,  they  would  all  be 
ruined;  but  he  would  not  help  her,  although  the 
Puritans  of  England  were  strongly  in  favor  of  aid- 
ing her.  Where  could  she  go  ?  She  finally  found  a 
brief  resting  place  at  the  fort  of  Custrin,  where  the 
Elector  of  Brandenburg,  her  brother-in-law,  allow- 
ed her  to  stay,  but  refused  her  any  money.  There 
she  bore  a  son.  She  then,  forgotten  by  her  father 
and  cast  out  by  her  brother-in-law,  traveled  west- 
ward toward  Holland.  How  different  her  journey 
now  from  her  bridal  trip  a  few  years  before.    Then 


Electress  Elizabeth  of  the  Palatinate.       159 

all  was  gladness,  now  all  is  sadness.  The  Dutch  gov- 
ernment, however,  received  her  as  a  queen,  and  kind- 
ly allowed  her  a  pension.  Here  at  last  she  and  her 
husband  found  an  asylum  during  the  awful  years  of 
the  Thirty  Years^  War. 

Here  one  trial  after  another  seemed  to  come  upon 
her.  The  Dutch  populace  called  her  and  her  hus- 
band "royal  beggars.^'  In  1628  she  lost  her  oldest 
son,  a  brilliant  boy,  the  heir  to  the  throne,  who  went 
with  his  father  to  Haarlem  to  see  the  Dutch  fleet  re- 
turn after  its  capture  of  the  silver  fleet  of  the  Span- 
iards. The  young  man  was  drowned  before  his  fath- 
er's eyes,  crying  out,  "Father,  save  me."  There 
came  a  ray  of  joy  to  her  when  Gustavus  Adolphus 
gained  his  victories.  But  this  was  taken  away  by  the 
absence  of  her  husband,  who  went  to  meet  Gustavus. 
And  the  next  year  Gustavus,  who  had  been  a  sort  of 
guardian  angel,  was  killed.  A  few  days  after,  came 
the  news  of  her  husband's  death.  Her  previous  ca- 
lamities were  trivial  compared  with  this.  She  showed, 
as  a  writer  says,  "marvellous  grief."  Yet  she  con- 
fessed in  a  letter  to  the  Dutch  States  that  "her  first 
great  resource  was  heaven."  Spanheim,  her  biog- 
rapher, says:     "Her  letters  are  admirable  for  the 


i6o  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

strength  of  judgment,  and  for  their  dignified  resig- 
nation and  touching  piety." 

She  seemed  to  be  left  alone,  without  husband  or 
country,  with  none  but  her  children.  And  these  gave 
her  increasing  anxiety.  One  son  was  defeated  and 
another  captured  by  the  emperor.  Then  came  the 
death  of  Duke  Bernard  of  Weimar,  who  had  been  a 
guardian  to  her  after  her  husband^s  death.  Then 
came  the  bitter  woe  of  a  son  and  a  daughter  going 
over  to  Romanism.  Her  brother,  King  Charles  I.  of 
England,  was  beheaded.  And  yet  her  life  was  not 
entirely  hopeless.  She  found  at  the  Hague 
the  society  of  cultured  people.  The  Reformed  mui- 
isters  show^ed  her  much  kindness.  She  lived  quietly 
for  many  years  at  a  country  villa  at  Rheten.  Here 
she  pursued  her  favorite  sport  of  the  chase.  Here 
she  educated  her  children.  Her  house  was  called 
"the  mansion  of  the  muses  and  graces,"  because  of 
her  fair  daughters.  For  there  the  great  philosopher 
Descartes  taught  her  daughter  Elizabeth.  But  alas ! 
her  troubles  were  not  yet  past.  The  close  of  the 
Thirty  Years'  War  gave  back  the  Palatinate  to  her 
family,  but  only  added  to  her  discomforts.  For  as 
her  son,  the  Elector  Charles  Lewis,  did  not  care  for 
her  as  he  should,  she  suffered  with  increasing  want. 


El cc tress  Elizabeth  of  the  Palatinate.       i6i 

At  length,  bereaved  of  every  object  that  endeared 
Holland  to  her,  she  accepted  an  invitation  in  1661 
to  return  to  England.  How  different  her  return 
from  her  departure  many  years  before.  No  shouts 
go  up  from  assembled  crov^^ds,  nor  does  any  homage 
come  from  the  nobles.  She  who  had  once  been  a 
power  in  the  negotiations  of  nations  and  a  queen  of 
beauty  in  society,  was  forgotten.  After  living  a 
short  time  quietly,  she  died  February  13,  1662.  "She 
was  a  princess  of  talents  and  virtues  not  often 
equalled,  rarely  surpassed."  Her  beauty  and  her 
tact  made  her  a  power  in  history.  Brave  men,  as 
Gustavus  Adolphus  and  Lord  Craven,  like  the 
knights  of  the  middle  ages,  were  led  by  her  beauty 
to  take  up  her  cause.  Thus  Duke  Christian  of 
Brunswick  snatched  a  glove  from  her  hand,  kissed 
it,  stuck  it  into  his  hat  as  a  plume,  and  then  drawing 
his  sword,  took  a  solemn  oath  never  to  lay  down 
arms  till  she  w^as  again  on  the  throne  of  Bohemia. 
He  placed  as  his  motto  on  his  flag:  "For  God  and 
for  her." 


IT. 
ELECTRESS  LOUISA  JULIANA  OF  THE  PALATINATE. 

SJOME  women  are  statesmen,  if  we  may  be 
permitted  to  use  that  expression  instead  of 
stateswomen.     Louisa  Juliana  was  one  of 


them.  She  inherited  it  from  her  father,  who  was 
one  of  the  greatest  statesmen  the  world  ever  pro- 
duced, William,  Prince  of  Orange.  She  was  the 
oldest  daughter  of  his  second  wife,  Charlotte  De 
Bourbon,  being  born  at  Dort  in  Holland,  in  1576. 
She  had  a  loving  mother  till  she  was  six  years  old. 
Young  as  she  was,  she  was  deeply  sensible  of  her 
mother's  death  and  grieved  greatly.  At  the  time  of 
the  assassination  of  her  father  she  was  about  eight 
years  old.  Young  as  she  was,  she  wrote  a  letter  to 
her  uncle.  Count  John  of  Nassau,  saying,  ''We  have 
suffered  so  great  a  loss,  my  sister  and  I,  that  we 
know  not  to  whom  to  confide  our  grief,  unless  to 
you,  whom  we  supplicate  most  humbly  to  be  to  us 
all  a  father  and  a  kind  uncle,  in  order  that  we  may 
be  brought  up  in  the  faith  in  which  our  father  had 
us  educated."  Evidently  hers  was  an  old  head  on 
young  shoulders. 

She   was   reared   by   her  aunt,   the   Countess    of 

163 


164  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

Schwarzenberg,  and  gained  all  the  polish  of  a  fin- 
ished French  education,  so  that  she  had  the  serious- 
ness of  the  Dutch  blended  with  the  vivacity  of  the 
French.  The  fame  of  her  accomplishments  and  at- 
tractions brought  to  her  feet  many  suitors.  Her  ac- 
cepted suitor  was  one  of  the  leading  princes  of 
Germany,  Elector  Frederick  IV.  of  the  Palatinate. 
She  was  married  to  him  at  Dillenberg  June  13,  1593, 
and  went  with  him  to  his  capital  at  Heidelberg, 
where  she  was  received  with  great  festivities.  She 
introduced  some  of  the  polish  of  the  French  cus- 
toms into  the  somewhat  ruder  Palatinate  court.  The 
nobility  had  been  given  to  the  rougher  amusements, 
as  hunting,  fishing,  hawking  and  sometimes  to 
drunkenness.  She  tried  to  banish  intemperate  and 
profane  habits  from  the  court  and  to  establish  habits 
of  sobriety  and  decorum.  She  also  endeavored  to 
produce  a  higher  religious  tone  in  the  court  by  es- 
tablishing the  practice  of  the  daily  reading  of  the 
Scriptures.  She  was  careful  to  imbue  the  minds  of 
her  children  with  religious  impressions.  Her  hor- 
ror of  the  papacy  was  very  great.  We  have  seen  it 
in  the  little  letter  her  son  Frederick  V.  wrote  as  a 
boy  to  Elizabeth  in  England  about  the  Gunpowder 
Plot,  calling  the  Catholics  Antichrist.    The  intensity 


Elec tress  Louisa  Juliana  of  the  Palatinate.   165 

of  her  Reformed  convictions  was  so  great  that  she 
instilled  into  her  son's  mind  an  aversion  not  only  to 
Romanism  but  also  to  Lutheranism  especially  in  its 
latitudinarianism  about  worship,  which  in  her  esti- 
mation were  not  far  removed  from  the  errors  of 
Rome.  She  was  careful  for  his  polite  training-  bv 
having  him  sent  to  the  court  of  the  Count  of  Bouil- 
lon at  Sedan  where  he  was  kept  from  the  rough 
drinking  customs  of  the  German  nobles  and  learned 
the  polished  manners  of  the  French.  Her  husband 
dying  when  her  son  was  only  fourteen  years  of  age, 
his  cousin,  Duke  John  of  Zweibrucken,  acted  as  re- 
gent during  the  boy's  minority.  But  she  was  his  ad- 
viser, and  by  their  united  care  the  land  prospered 
and  gained  in  influence.  She  greatly  rejoiced  at  the 
marriage  of  her  son  Frederick  to  the  daughter  of  the 
English  crown.  When  the  Elector  returned  from 
England  with  his  bride,  his  family  at  Heidelberg,  in 
receiving  him  was  headed  by  Louisa  Juliana  with  a 
train  of  twelve  princesses  and  noble  ladies  in  the 
vestibule  of  the  castle.  But  her  mother-heart  for- 
got the  conventionalities  of  society  and  broke 
through  all  etiquette  as  she  threw  her  arms  around 
her  daughter-in-law's  neck  as  she  burst  into  tears 
of  joy. 


1 66  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

Frederick  now  assumed  the  government  of  his 
land,  and  his  mother  retired  to  her  little  estate  at 
Kaiserlautern.  Here  she  took  a  warm  interest  in 
the  people  under  her  care  and  they  improved  in 
piety,  refinement  of  manners,  and  general  prosperity. 
Here  she  lived  in  seclusion  and  peace  until  the  out- 
break of  the  Thirty  Years'  War.  When  her  son, 
Frederick  V.,  was  offered  the  throne  of  Bohemia, 
she,  with  her  natural  sagacity  in  political  affairs, 
strongly  urged  him  against  accepting  it.  She  fore- 
saw all  the  later  calamities  that  came  to  the  land — 
loss  of  his  land  of  the  Palatinate,  and  the  persecu- 
tions of  the  Reformed.  In  eloquent  words  she  pic- 
turned  to  him  his  lack  of  allies  and  the  danger  if  he 
accepted.  Well  would  it  have  been  for  him  if  he  had 
heeded  his  mother's  advice.  But  no,  against  her  will, 
urged  on  by  his  wife,  he  accepted  the  Bohemian 
crown.  When  he  left  Heidelberg  for  Prague  Juli- 
ana uttered  the  fateful  prophecy,  "And  now  the  Pa- 
latinate removes  to  Bohemia,'^  and  went  to  bed,  sick 
with  anxiety,  after  she  had  parted  with  him  in  tears 
and  sighs. 

When  the  Bohemian  war  terminated  so  disas- 
trously against  him  a  year  later,  she  lost  her  little 
county   of   Kaiserlautern   and   fled   to   Heidelberg, 


Electress  Louisa  Juliana  of  the  Palatinate.   167 

from  which  she  escaped  with  difficulty;  but  found 
a  resting  place  with  her  daughter  who  had  married 
the  Elector  of  Brandenburg.  She  lived  during  the 
war,  partly  in  Berlin,  his  capital,  but  most  of  the 
time  at  Konigsberg,  in  far  east  of  Polish  Prussia, 
farthest  removed  from  the  dangers  of  the  war. 
There  she  greatly  aided  in  founding  a  Reformed 
congregation,  for  the  whole  land  of  Prussia  was 
Lutheran.  But  she  had  Reformed  service  in  her 
castle  chapel,  out  of  which  grew  a  permanent  Re- 
formed congregation  there.  While  she  was  there, 
her  daughter-in-law  Elizabeth,  came  fleeing  from 
Bohemia  and  bore  a  son  at  Custrin,  named  Maurice. 
This  boy  the  grandmother  took  to  her  home  at 
Konigsberg  and  reared.  Says  Miss  Benger,  the  bio- 
grapher of  Elizabeth,  "It  is  a  trait  of  generosity  that 
Juliana  never  became  estranged  from  Elizabeth, 
however  opposed  they  may  have  been  in  their  opin- 
ions. There  was  in  each  of  these  princesses  no  com- 
mon share  of  firmness  and  dignity,  and  of  the 
younger  might  be  personified  Hope,  the  older  was 
no  less  characterized  by  Resignation." 

When  Gustavus  Adolphus  came  from  the  north  to 
deliver  Germany  from  the  power  of  the  Catholic 
armies,  a  very  serious  breach  occurred  that  threat- 


i68  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

ened  to  allow  room  for  the  destruction  of  the  Pro- 
testants of  Germany,  by  aHenating  them  from  Gus- 
tavus.  He,  at  the  very  beginning  of  his  campaign, 
came  into  colHsion  with  the  Elector  of  Branden- 
burg because  of  the  fortress  of  Spandau,  which  the 
Elector  claimed  and  Gustavus  refused  to  give  up. 
Gustavus  at  once  marched  his  victorious  army 
against  one  who  ought  to  have  been  his  ally  and 
threatened  to  bombard  the  gates  of  Berlin.  The 
Elector  then  saw  his  danger  and  tried  to  gain  peace, 
but  in  vain.  Several  embassies  were  sent  to  Gusta- 
vus, but  he  seemed  determined  to  humiliate  the  Elec- 
tor by  attacking  his  capital.  Then  Gustavus  was 
surprised  to  receive  a  delegation  of  ladies.  How 
often  the  ladies  can  do  what  the  gentlemen  can  not, 
especially  when  it  comes  to  subjects  requiring  deli- 
cate tact.  These  ladies  were  the  Electress  Louisa 
Juliana  and  her  daughter,  the  Electress  of  Branden- 
burg, who  had  repaired  to  his  camp.  By  the  wis- 
dom and  beauty  of  Juliana's  address  Gustavus  was 
disarmed.  He  found  in  her  a  stateswoman  greater 
than  his  own  statesmanship.  Yielding  to  her  inter- 
cessions he  gave  up  his  hostile  purpose,  and  became 
a  friend  to  the  Elector,  and  thus  became  united  to 
the  Protestants  of  Germany.     She  rejoiced  at  the 


Elccfress  Louisa  Juliana  of  the  Palatinate.   169 

victories  of  Gustavus  in  Germany,  but  after  his 
death  had  to  mourn  the  death  of  her  unfortunate 
son,  Elector  Frederick  V. 

She  remained  at  Konigsberg  until  her  death  on 
^larch  5.  1644.  At  her  death  she  was  greatly  com- 
forted by  the  consolations  of  the  Reformed  faith. 
She  was  greatly  strengthened  by  the  prayers  of  the 
Reformed  ministers  who  visited  her.  To  her  daugh- 
ter-in-law Elizabeth,  who  had  suffered  so  much  by 
the  war,  she  sent  a  message,  thus :  "Assure  her," 
she  said,  "that  I  have  always  loved  and  honored  her 
from  the  heart,  and  that  these  affections  I  will  carry 
with  me  to  the  grave.  Inform  her  children  that  it 
was  among  the  last  prayers  on  my  lips,  that  God 
would  bless  them,  that  it  would  greatly  have  de- 
lighted me  to  have  seen  them  restored  to  their  es- 
tates. But  God  having  ordered  it  otherwise,  I  as- 
sure them  that  He  will  never  forsake  them."  She 
ordered  her  court  preacher,  Agricola,  to  preach  at 
her  funeral  on  i  Peter  i  :i8,  saying,  "My  reason  for 
this  choice  is  that  therein  is  contained  all  my  con- 
solation which  rests  only  on  the  precious  blood  of 
Christ."  So  died  one  of  the  greatest  princesses  of 
the  Reformed  Church — a  female  William  of  Orange 
in  her  piety,  ability  and  statesmanship,  yet  uniting 


I/O  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

with  these  virtues  the  quieter  graces  of  the  female 
sex. 


LANDGRAVINE  AMALIE  OF  HESSE 


Ill, 

LANDGRAVINE  AMALIE   ELIZABETH   OF    HESSE   CASSEL. 

OlNE  of  the  greatest  leaders  of  the  Thirty 
Years'  War  was  this  noble  princess.  Her 
biographer  calls  her  the  greatest  noblewo- 


man of  her  country.  She  was  the  granddaughter  of 
Prince  William  of  Orange,  from  whom  she  inherited 
''his  wisdom  and  his  eagle  eye."  She  was  born  Janu- 
ary 29,  1602,  at  Hanau  in  Germany,  and  was  married 
at  the  age  of  eighteen  to  Landgrave  William  V.  of 
Hesse  Cassel.  Her  husband  having  espoused  the 
side  of  the  Swedes  in  the  Thirty  Years^  War,  was 
finally  compelled  by  the  Austrians  to  leave  his  land 
and  seek  an  asylum  in  East  Friesland.  At  this  most 
unfortunate  moment  he  died  September  21,  1637. 
It  looked  now  as  if  the  Hesse  Cassel  would  be  lost 
entirely,  and  with  her  the  rights  of  the  Protestants 
and  of  the  Reformed.  For  with  the  exception  of 
Saxe- Weimar,  hers  was  the  only  land  in  Germany 
still  in  rebellion  against  the  emperor,  the  rest  having 
accepted  the  peace  of  Prague  (1635).  But  she  re- 
fused to  accept  that  peace,  because  her  Reformed 
faith  was  not  guaranteed  in  it.  She  was  the  last  one 
in  Germany  fighting  for  the  Reformed  faith.    If  she 

171 


172  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

were  crushed,  what  would  become  of  the  Reformed 
Church?  It  was  a  terrible  crisis  for  the  Reformed. 
Once  before,  in  1566,  the  German  emperor  had  tried 
to  crush  out  the  Heidelberg  Catechism,  but  the  elo- 
quence of  Elector  Frederick  III.  of  the  Palatinate 
saved  it.  Now  it  remains  for  a  woman  to  be  the 
second  savior  of  the  Reformed  of  German}^  For 
man's  extremity  proved  to  be  woman's  opportunity. 
There  arose  a  Reformed  Joan  of  Arc  to  lead  the 
Reformed  back  to  victory.  She  did  not  do  it,  how- 
ever, by  appearing  on  the  battle-field,  as  did  Joan 
of  Arc,  but  by  the  shrewdness  of  her  diplomacy. 
She  has  also  been  compared  to  the  warrior  woman 
of  the  Old  Testament,  and  called  the  Reformed 
Deborah. 

Fearful  were  the  odds  against  her.  A  large  part 
of  her  land  was  in  the  hands  of  the  enemy.  She  and 
her  family  were  exiles,  and  a  debt  of  590,000  thalers 
was  on  her  land.  When  her  husband  died,  he  left 
his  son,  a  mere  boy,  as  his  successor.  But  the  em- 
peror declared  that  her  husband's  will  was  void,  and 
ordered  her  greatest  enemy,  the  Landgrave  of  Hesse 
Darmstadt,  to  take  possession  of  her  land  and  rule  it. 
This  usurpation  thoroughly  roused  her.  With  the 
courage  of  a  lioness  she  proceeded  to  battle  for  her 


Landgravine  Anialic  Elizabeth.  173 

son's  rights.  As  regent  she  began  the  war  again. 
Her  husband  had  fortunately  left  to  her  15,000  ex- 
cellent experienced  soldiers.  She  also  had  as  her 
commander  Melander,  one  of  the  greatest  generals 
of  the  war,  whom  the  emperor  had  tried  by  high 
bribes  to  draw  from  her  service  (for  the  emperor 
knew  his  value),  but  in  vain.  She  made  an  armistice 
with  the  emperor,  during  which  negotiations  for 
peace  were  to  take  place.  He  was  so  anxious  to 
make  peace,  that  he  asked  the  Elector  of  Mayencc, 
who  acted  as  mediator,  to  get  her  to  name  her  con- 
ditions. She  replied  that  she  would  not  make  peace 
until  Hesse  Cassel  had  gotten  back  all  the  territory 
illegally  taken  from  her,  and  till  the  Reformed  (who 
had  been  ignored  by  the  peace  of  Prague,  1635) 
had  been  given  their  rights.  She  thus  held  the  bal- 
ance of  power,  and  her  favor  was  courted  by  the 
emperor  on  the  one  side  and  by  the  French  and 
Swedes  on  the  other.  With  wise  statesmanship  she 
knew  how  to  utilize  her  unique  position.  The  em- 
peror wanted  her  to  give  up  the  French  and  Swedes 
as  allies,  but  she  feared  lest  if  she  did,  he  would 
punish  her  afterwards.  So  she  finally  made  a  treaty 
with  the  French  and  the  Swedes,  instead  of  the  em- 
peror, after  the  armistice  had  lasted  two  years,  the 
French  giving  her  150,000  gulden  as  a  subsidy. 


174  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

She  then  moved  forward  her  army,  42,000  strong, 
into  Westphalia,  supported  on  the  one  side  by  the 
French  and  on  the  other  by  the  Swedes.  It  gained 
a  number  of  victories  over  the  emperor's  forces, 
among  others  recapturing  Marburg,  February  23, 
1646,  and  regaining  Upper  Hesse.  Her  position 
was  now  so  strong  and  her  influence  so  great,  that 
when  negotiations  for  the  WestphaHan  peace  began, 
she  entered  into  them  on  an  equality  with  the 
Swedes  and  French,  although  she  was  the  ruler  of 
only  a  small  German  state.  One  of  the  emperor's 
friends  declared  that  it  was  a  shame  that  such  a 
small  state  should  dictate  to  the  empire.  Victorious 
in  war  she  gained  even  greater  victories  in  the  peace 
negotiations  that  closed  the  war.  She  compelled 
Hesse  Darmstadt  to  give  up  the  land  it  had  taken 
from  Cassel.  The  emperor  granted  her  her  Re- 
formed religion,  and  more  than  that,  granted  its 
toleration  in  all  Germany,  too.  For  the  first  time  in 
the  history  of  Germany,  the  Reformed  were  men- 
tioned by  name  in  this  peace  of  Westphalia  as  the 
equals  of  the  Lutherans  and  the  Catholics.  This 
was  due  to  her  persistence  in  keeping  up  the  war, 
although  she  was  aided  in  the  negotiations  by  the 
influence  of  the  Elector  of  Brandenburg,  who  was 


Landgravine  Amalie  Elisabeth.  175 

the  great  protector  of  the  Reformed.  The  Bavarian 
General  Gronsfeld  said  of  her:  "Amalie  has  gained 
immortal  fame.  She  has  gained  toleration  for  her 
Reformed  religion,  which  had  been  cast  out  by  the 
empire.  She  holds  the  balance  of  power  in  her 
hands." 

At  the  close  of  the  war  she  laid  down  the  regency 
of  her  land  and  gave  its  rule  to  her  son,  Landgrave 
William  VI.  The  excessive  cares  of  the  war  had 
weakened  her  health.  For  in  the  midst  of  all  her 
political  duties  she  still  watched  over  her  family 
with  the  greatest  care  (she  had  been  the  mother  of 
fourteen  children).  She  was  careful  to  have  them 
trained  in  the  Reformed  faith,  the  superintendent 
of  Cassel,  Neuberger  being  the  tutor  of  the  son 
who  succeeded  her.  She  desired  to  spend  the  rest  of 
her  life  in  quietness.  But  her  health  continued  fail- 
ing. She  went  on  a  visit,  1651,  to  Heidelberg,  to 
her  daughter,  who  had  married  the  Elector  of  the 
Palatinate.  There  she  was  greeted  as  the  Deborah 
of  the  Reformed  Church.  But  while  there,  her 
rheumatism,  which  showed  itself  in  her  foot,  in- 
creased; so  with  her  daughter  and  other  nobles  she 
received  the  communion  from  the  Reformed  court 
preacher   Pilger,   and   declared   herself   satisfied  to 


176  IV omen  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

follow  whither  God  would  lead.  With  great  pres- 
ence of  mind  she  prepared  herself  for  the  end.  When 
the  operation  was  performed,  she  bore  it  with  great 
patience.  She  never  took  her  eye  off  of  the  wound, 
and  told  her  physician  he  should  cut  more,  if  nec- 
essary, as  she  was  ready  to  bear  all.  She  gradually 
grew  a  little  better,  and  was  able  to  return  to  Cassel, 
July  12,  by  being  carried  in  a  chair  by  soldiers.  On 
August  3  she  had  them  carry  her  to  church,  that  she 
might  once  more  join  with  God's  people  in  the  woi- 
ship  of  the  sanctuary.  She  afterwards  became 
worse,  but  declared  in  the  midst  of  her  great  suf- 
ferings that  she  was  ready  to  die.  Just  before  she 
died,  she  reached  her  hand  to  both  of  her  court 
preachers  and  said,  *'Good  night."  Then  she  fell 
asleep,  August  8,  165 1.  She  greatly  loved  her  Re- 
formed Church,  which  was  the  constant  recipient  of 
her  bounty,  and  for  which  she  was  willing  to  sacri- 
fice her  all.  She  died  greatly  idolized  by  her 
people.     On  her  coins  is  the  motto: 

"Against  might  and  craft 
God  is  n-^y  rock." 


IV. 
COUNTESS  URSULA  OF   HADAMER. 

BHE  Reformed  princesses  of  the  Thirty 
Years'  War  are  exceedingfly  interesting: 
characters.  Among  them  and  occupy- 
ing a  front  rank,  is  the  subject  of  this  article. 
The  Romish  Church  has  a  beautiful  legend  of 
the  Countess  Ursula,  who  with  10,000  virgins 
made  a  pilgrimage  to  Rome,  and  on  her  return 
was  attacked  by  the  Huns.  The  bones  of  this  prin- 
cess and  her  followers  are  still  shown  in  one  of  the 
churches  of  Cologne,  and  the  Romish  Church  ven- 
erates her  as  one  of  her  saints.  The  Reformed  have 
also  a  St.  Ursula,  and  can  match  the  legend  by  a 
story  of  fact,  which  reveals  an  equally  faithful  saint, 
who  would  not  give  up  her  faith.  Her  territory  was 
a  small  province  in  western  Germany,  the  country 
of  Nassau-Hadamer.  Her  husband  was  a  brave 
noble,  but  fond  of  display,  and  especially  fond  of 
showing  his  keenness  in  debate.  It  happened  that 
the  Austrian  government  brought  a  charge  against 
the  Counts  of  Nassau  for  having  aided  King  Fred- 
erick of  Bohemia  against  Emperor  Ferdinand  of 
Germany.    These  Counts  sent  her  husband  to  Vienna 

177 


1/8  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

to  defend  their  cause  and  also  to  intercede  for  their 
land,  which  the  Emperor's  forces  were  so  severely 
ravaging.  The  Count  left  his  wife  behind  to  rule  in 
his  stead.  This  she  could  do  very  well,  for  she  was 
a  woman  of  rare  ability,  as  well  as  of  nobility  of 
character. 

While  her  husband  was  absent  (he  was  away 
about  a  year),  alarming  reports  came  to  his  land  that 
the  Jesuits  were  trying  to  convert  him  to  Romanism. 
For  the  Emperor  had  utilized  the  Count's  visit  to 
Vienna  to  bring  him  in  contact  with  his  confessor, 
Lenormain.  The  Emperor  honored  him  with  an  in- 
vitation to  dine  with  him,  and  placed  the  confessor 
opposite  the  Count  at  the  table.  Of  course  very 
soon  a  debate  sprung  up  between  them,  in  which  the 
Count  prided  himself  in  showing  off  his  ability.  But 
he  was  no  match  for  the  wily  confessor.  The  Ro- 
manists so  influenced  him  that  he  finally,  after  seven 
days  of  consideration,  joined  the  Romish  Church. 
After  this  had  happened,  he  did  not  tell  it  to  his 
wife.  But  one  of  his  attendants  wrote  a  letter  to 
his  pastor,  acquainting  him  with  the  facts.  The  pas- 
tor called  together  the  Reformed  pastors  of  the 
country,  and  made  known  to  them  the  contents  of 
the  letter.    All  were  astounded.     In  that  day  it  was 


Count  ess  Ursula  of  Hadamer.  179 

the  law  of  Germany,  ''like  prince,  like  people."  If  a 
prince  went  over  to  the  Romish  faith,  he  could  force 
that  faith  on  his  subjects.  Of  course,  therefore,  the 
Reformed  ministers  were  justly  alarmed  at  the  pros- 
pect of  the  introduction  of  the  Romish  faith  into 
their  land.  They  discussed  the  situation,  but  felt 
that  the  Count's  wife  should  be  notified  of  his  con- 
version, because  she  could  protect  them,  and  besides 
''was  such  an  example  of  piety  and  a  zealous  promo- 
tor  of  the  honor  of  God."  But  no  one  was  willing, 
to  undertake  to  impart  the  sad  news  to  her,  partly 
for  fear  of  the  Count,  and  partly  for  fear  of  the  re- 
sults on  her,  as  she  was  not  very  well. 

Finally,  Niesener,  the  pastor  of  Rennerod,  offered 
to  go.  He  went  to  her  and  broke  the  news  as  deli- 
cately and  gradually  as  possible.  But  when  he  an- 
nounced to  her,  that  her  husband  was  a  convert  to 
Romanism,  she  fainted  away.  When  she  came  to 
consciousness  again  and  was  able  to  talk,  he  urged 
her,  not  to  follow  the  example  of  her  husband.  She 
at  once  spoke  out  the  noble  determination,  "I  would 
rather  be  divorced  from  my  husband  and  go  out  of 
this  land  a  beggar,  than  leave  my  faith."  She  also 
thanked  Niesener  especially  for  his  faithfulness  in 
coming  to  tell  her  the  truth,  and  promised  to  protect 


'i8o  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

him,  and  if  he  were  driven  out  of  the  country,  to  find 
a  place  for  him  in  her  brother's  land  of  Lippe.  Her 
husband,  before  he  left  Vienna  to  return  home, 
wrote  to  her,  telling  her  that  he  was  now  a  Roman- 
ist. He  finally  returned  in  December,  1629,  bring- 
ing with  him  two  Jesuit  priests  to  introduce  Roman- 
ism. He  placed  his  land  under  the  ecclesiastical 
control  of  the  Elector  of  Treves,  who  was  to  aid  him. 
With  bitter  tears  his  wife  received  him,  but  all  her 
entreaties  failed  to  gain  him  back  to  her  Reformed 
faith.  He  soon  gathered  the  ministers  together  and 
announced  to  them  his  change  of  religion,  and  urged 
them  to  follow  him.  None  of  them  had  the  courage 
to  reply,  except  Niesener,  who  declared  that  they 
would  follow  God  rather  than  man,  and  said,  "I  re- 
member the  words  of  Christ  in  Matthew  6:25,  'If 
the  light  that  is  in  thee  be  darkness,  how  great  is 
that  darkness.' "  The  Count  replied,  that  if  they 
would  not  become  Romanists,  they  must  all  leave 
the  land  within  four  weeks.  He  also  invited  the 
ministers  to  his  table,  one  after  the  other,  so  as  to 
bring  them  into  a  discussion  with  the  Jesuits  there, 
who  might  be  able  to  drive  them  into  a  corner  in  ar- 
gument or  to  convert  them  to  Rome,  if  possible. 
The    ministers    unwillingly  obeyed  and  came,  but 


Countess  Ursula  of  Hadamer.  i8i 

were   generally   silent,   rather  than    make    matters 
worse  by  an  unfair  discussion. 

The  Count  also  ordered  the  ministers  to  intro- 
duce the  Gregorian  calendar.  This  calendar,  al- 
though introduced  since  in  all  Protestant  lands,  was 
at  that  time  considered  a  sign  of  compromise  with 
Rome.  The  ministers  were,  therefore,  to  observe 
Easter  and  Whitsunday  according  to  it.  But  some 
of  the  Reformed  refused  to  obey  this,  and  this  made 
confusion  in  the  observance  of  Easter,  because  there 
was  a  difference  of  ten  days  between  the  old  and 
new  calendar.  The  Count  dismissed  the  Reformed 
ministers,  when  he  found  they  would  not  become 
Romanists.  A  cry  of  distress  went  up  from  the  Re- 
formed people,  as  they  saw  their  pastors  depart.  The 
sufferings  of  these  pastors  was  great.  They  were 
driven  out  in  winter  time,  without  a  home  or  money 
or  friends.  One  of  them,  the  pastor  at  Salbach, 
wandered  with  his  wife  and  four  children  for  a  year 
hither  and  thither,  before  finding  a  parish.  On  Janu- 
ary 31,  1630,  the  Count  gathered  the  people  of  the 
town  of  Hadamer  together,  and  ordered  them  to  fol- 
low him  into  the  Catholic  Church.  He  was  followed 
by  an  address  by  the  Jesuit  Brack,  who  painted  in 
rosy  colors  the  beauties  of  Catholicism.    On  Febru- 


i82  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

ary  5  the  Jesuits  held  their  first  service  in  the  Re- 
formed church  at  Hadamer.  Everywhere  the  Jesuits 
took  the  Reformed  churches  and  used  them  for  Ro- 
mish worship.  The  Count  also  commanded  the  in- 
habitants to  attend  Romish  worship,  under  pain  of 
imprisonment,  yes,  of  death. 

The  result  of  all  this  was,  that  by  the  end  of  1630 
not  a  Reformed  minister  was  to  be  found  in  the  land 
with  two  exceptions.  One  of  them,  Artopeus,  the 
blind  chaplain  of  the  Countess  (he  was  now  88  years 
old),  who  was  allowed  to  preach  only  in  her  room, 
but  to  hold  no  public  Reformed  service.  But  while 
the  Romish  priests  seemed  to  have  everything  their 
own  way,  yet  their  lives  were  not  safe.  For  the  Hol- 
landers with  their  soldiers  would  come  suddenly  into 
the  land,  and  they  would  have  to  flee.  To  avoid  this, 
they  were  ordered  to  dress  in  the  clothes  of  private 
citizens  and  not  to  live  at  the  parsonages,  but  in  pri- 
vate houses.  But  the  Dutch  soldiers  soon  found  out 
where  they  were.  On  one  occasion  they  captured 
some  of  them  and  took  them  away  as  prisoners. 
When  the  Count  remonstrated  with  the  Dutch  about 
this,  the  Dutch  replied  that  they  intended  to  keep 
them  as  hostages  for  some  Reformed  ministers  who 
were  kept  in  prison.     Niesener  was  the  only  other 


Countess  Ursula  of  Hadamer.  183 

Reformed  minister  besides  Artopeus  who  was  per- 
mitted to  remain  in  the  land.  And  this  was  only  be-> 
cause  of  the  protection  of  the  Countess.  He  was, 
however,  banished  to  a  village  near  the  Catholic  bor- 
der, and  forbidden  to  go  out  of  his  house.  He  and 
his  family  would  have  starved,  had  not  some  of  the 
Reformed  brought  them  food.  One  day  he  was 
warned  to  escape,  because  the  Spanish  soldiers 
would  come  and  kidnap  him  and  murder  him  that 
night.  He,  however,  refused  to  leave,  as  he  had 
given  his  word  to  the  Count,  and  felt  he  ought  not 
to  break  it.  That  night  his  house  was  surrounded, 
he  was  taken  captive  and  hurried  away.  They  did 
this  because  they  said  he  was  in  league  with  the 
Dutch,  and  was  a  spy.  They  put  him  in  chains  and 
dragged  him  away,  while  his  house  was  ransacked 
and  his  little  ones  driven  out  into  the  street.  He 
was  taken  to  Cologne,  where  he  was  imprisoned  for 
a  year  before  he  was  declared  innocent.  He  was 
then  set  free  and  became  pastor,  as  the  Countess  had 
promised,  in  the  land  of  Lippe,  at  Horn. 

Meanwhile  the  Countess,  like  her  country,  was 
suffering,  bearing  the  woes  of  her  Reformed  people. 
Often  she  interceded  for  them,  but  in  vain.  Her 
own  children,  whom  she  loved  with  all  the  tender- 


184  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

ness  of  a  Christian  mother,  were  taken  away  from 
her  and  taught  to  despise  their  mother's  Protestant 
faith.  Her  chaplain  was  finally  forbidden  to  hold 
services  for  her  any  more,  although  she  greatly  de- 
sired his  services.  Yet,  though  left  alone,  she  was 
not  alone,  for  she  strengthened  herself  daily  by  read- 
ing the  Bible  and  by  communion  with  God  in  prayer. 
Finally,  in  1638,  she  was  laid  on  her  dying  bed.  She 
greatly  longed  for  a  Reformed  minister  to  comfort 
her  in  her  dying  hour,  but  none  was  permitted  to 
come  to  her.  On  the  other  hand,  her  husband  allow- 
ed the  Jesuit  priests  to  visit  her.  They  began  to 
argue  with  her  against  her  faith,  although  she  was 
weak  unto  death.  They  tried  every  method  to  get 
her  to  come  over  to  Rome.  But  she  nobly  answered 
them  out  of  her  Bible  and  from  her  Heidelberg 
Catechism.  The  Jesuits  finally  withdrew  and  report- 
ed to  the  Count  the  obstinacy  of  his  wife.  But  though 
they  were  unsuccessful,  they  yet  bore  testimony 
to  the  beauty  of  her  Christian  character.  One  of 
them  said,  "It  is  truly  to  be  regretted  that  this  silver 
should  be  tarnished  even  to  its  last  life's  breath  by 
the  filth  of  unbelief.''  And  another  bore  testimony 
to  her  character  by  saying,  "that  such  a  heretic  as 
she  outweighed  many  a  dozen  of  Catholics  in  God's 


Countess  Ursula  of  Hadamer.  185 

sight."  "Countess  Ursula,"  said  another,  "reveals 
in  everything  the  most  perfect  model  of  Christian 
piety.  She  gave  herself  diligently  to  prayer  with 
her  servants  or  alone  for  three  hours  daily,  and  on 
Sunday  she  spent  almost  the  whole  day  in  that  way. 
In  a  word,  she  was  a  splendid  example  of  all  the 
virtues,  a  benefactor  of  the  poor  and  widows  and 
orphans."  The  poor  were  fed  at  her  table,  and  even 
the  plague  did  not  keep  her  back  from  faithfully  vis- 
iting the  sick.  She  was  an  angel  of  mercy,  going 
about  doing  good.  Thus  died  one  of  the  saints  of 
the  Reformed  Church,  bearing  faithfully  her  trials, 
yet  shining  with  brightest  hope.  She  is  described  as 
of  slender,  tall  form,  and  of  uncommon  beauty. 
From  her  black  eyes  beamed  gentleness  and  kind- 
ness, joined  to  dignity  and  majesty.  True  goodness 
of  spirit,  strength  of  character  and  fullness  of  en- 
ergy were  hers.  Thus  she  remained  true  and  faith- 
ful to  the  end,  and  came  off  conqueror  and  more 
than  conqueror  through  Him  that  loved  her.  The 
Reformed  Church  does  not  canonize  her  saints,  but 
she  should  ever  keep  in  grateful  remembrance  this 
saint  of  the  17th  century. 


V. 

COUNTESS  GERTRUDE  OF  BENTHEIM. 

N  the  northwestern  corner  of  Germany,  on 
the  borders  of  Holland,  lay  the  county  of 
Bentheim.     It  was  a  thoroughly  Reformed 
district,  and  ruled,  in  the  latter  part  of  the  17th  cen- 
tury, by  a  Reformed  prince,  Count  Ernest  William. 
His  wife  was  Gertrude,  a  lady  of  Holland,  to  whom 
he  was   married,   August  22,    1661.     The   Count's 
brother,  the  Count  of  Steinfurt,  became  her  bitter 
enemy  because  of  her  marriage,  for  he  hoped  that 
his   brother,    Ernest   WiUiam,    would!   die    without 
heirs,  and  the  county  would  fall  to  him.     So  he  tried 
to  discredit  her  marriage  and  prevent  her  children 
from  becoming  heirs,  because  she  had  not  been  of 
noble  birth  before  her  marriage.    To  protect  herself 
she  put  herself  under  the  protection  of  the  neighbor- 
ing Bishop  of  Munster,  a  strong  Romish  prince.  She 
little  thought  that  a  Romish  prince  would  always 
seek  for  some  return  for  his  trouble.     The  Bishop 
brought  it  about  that  the  Emperor  of  Germany,  on 
Jan.  22,  1666,  granted  her  a  diploma  elevating  her  to 
the  rank  of  nobility.    Thus  her  marriage  was  recog- 
nized and  her  children  would  succeed  to  the  throne 

187 


i88  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

of  Bentheim.  The  Bishop,  however,  waited  for 
some  return  for  this  act.  He  decided  to  try  and 
proselyte  the  Count  to  Rome.  The  Count  was  of  a 
weak  nature,  fit  only  to  be  a  football  in  the  hands  of 
others.  The  Bishop  succeeded  in  getting  the  Count 
to  appoint  a  Catholic  as  his  chancellor.  This  caused 
a  sensation  in  Bentheim,  and  already  the  conversion 
of  the  Count  was  talked  of.  His  wife  saw  the  in- 
creasing influence  of  the  Bishop  with  fear. 

Finally  the  Bishop  capped  the  climax  by  an  act  of 
violence.  The  Count's  envious  brother  died  and  was 
buried  at  the  beginning  of  August,  1668.  The  Count 
went  to  the  funeral  at  Steinfurt,  which  was  located 
only  18  miles  from  Munster,  and  stayed  there  five 
days.  The  Bishop  saw  his  opportunity  and  secretly 
garrisoned  the  roads  between  Steinfurt  and  Ben- 
theim, so  as  to  capture  the  Count  on  his  return 
home.  And  yet  the  Bishop  did  not  pretend  to  take 
him  by  force,  but  simply  to  force  on  him  an  invita- 
tion to  visit  Munster,  as  he  had  often  urged  him  to 
do  so  before.  When  the  Count  came  to  the  place 
where  the  Bishop's  forces  were,  the  Bishop  met  him 
and  urged  him  to  take  a  seat  in  his  episcopal  car- 
riage. The  Count  begged  to  be  excused,  as  he  said 
he  ought  to  go  home  because  he  was  in  mourning 


Countess  Gertrude  of  Bentheim.  189 

for  his  brother  and  because  of  the  baptism  of  a  babe 
in  his  family.  But  the  Bishop  was  inexorable.  By 
gentle  force  he  compelled  the  Count  to  go  with  him 
to  Ahausen  that  day.  On  the  following  morning 
the  ride  was  taken  in  company  with  the  Jesuit  Gor- 
ier to  Coesfeld  and  to  Munster.  The  Count  was 
separated  from  his  attendants,  and  as  his  servants 
left  him,  they  admonished  him  not  to  give  up  his 
Reformed  faith,  at  which  he  simply  folded  his  hands 
and  gave  a  deep  sigh.  He  was  placed  in  a  house 
next  to  the  chapel  in  the  castle.  The  work  of  prose- 
lyting him  was  pushed  forward  with  great  zeal.  The 
Jesuit  Corler  tried  hard  to  force  him  to  Rome.  The 
Bishop  so  stormed  at  him  from  dinner  till  evening, 
August  10,  that  the  Count  finally  consented,  and  on 
the  next  day  went  over  to  the  Romish  faith.  The 
Emperor,  in  recognition  of  this  act,  made  him  his 
councillor  and  chamberlain. 

The  news  of  his  conversion  soon  came  to  Ben- 
theim and  caused  great  anxiety  to  all,  but  especially 
to  the  Countess,  as  she  knew  not  what  it  would 
bring  forth.  Fearful  of  future  exigencies,  she,  with 
ereat  shrewdness,  sent  her  four  oldest  sons  to  Hoi- 
land,  and  placed  them  under  the  care  of  the  States 
General  of  the  Netherlands.     The  youngest,  which 


IQO  Women  of  the  Reformed  CImrch. 

was  a  newly-born  babe,  she  quickly  had  baptized  in 
the  Reformed  faith.  She  then  very  anxiously  await- 
ed results.  The  Reformed  Church,  too,  felt  the  con- 
version of  the  Count  keenly.  A  special  meeting  of 
the  Classis  of  Bentheim  was  called.  It  resolved  to 
make  known  to  the  neighboring  Reformed  bodies 
the  apostasy  of  the  Count  and  to  pray  the  Synod  of 
Cleve  to  get  for  them  the  protection  of  the  Elector 
of  Brandenburg.  This  appeal  of  the  Classis  was,  on 
October  24,  1668,  addressed  to  the  court  preacher  of 
the  Elector,  John  Hundius.  The  Classis  also  at  this 
meeting  chose  for  its  seal  a  ship  on  which  the  Lord 
was  with  His  disciples,  surrounded  by  the  storm.  It 
had  the  inscription:    "Lord,  save  us;  we  perish.'^ 

In  the  meanwhile  the  Count  was  kept  away  from 
Bentheim,  and  a  party  of  Munster  soldiers  was  sent 
to  Bentheim,  having  the  authority  of  the  Count  to 
gain  possession  of  the  castle  there  and  garrison  it. 
But  the  Countess,  suspecting  that  her  husband  had 
been  forced  to  this  by  the  Bishop,  refused  to  sur- 
render the  castle  and  declared,  with  just  wrath,  that 
she  would  not  open  to  any  one  until  she  had  talked 
with  her  husband  face  to  face  about  it,  and  was  real- 
ly sure  he  wanted  it  opened.  Then  the  Bishop  came 
with  an  army  of  four  thousand  men  to  Bentheim  to 


Countess  Gertrude  of  Bentheim.  191 

compel  her  to  surrender.  He  brought  the  poor  im- 
prisoned Count  with  him,  but  kept  him  at  his  head- 
quarters and  compelled  him  to  wage  war  against  his 
own  wife.  All  this  must  have  made  the  Count^s 
heart  bleed,  but  what  do  Jesuits  care  for  bleeding 
hearts,  so  long  as  they  gain  their  ends.  The  Coun- 
tess would  have  defended  the  castle  to  the  death, 
but  for  the  treachery  of  one  of  her  men.  The  court 
master,  Wolf,  whether  corrupted  by  the  Jesuits  or 
anxious  for  his  life,  gave  the  enemy  the  key.  So 
the  gates  were  opened.  But  even  when  the  Munster 
troops  rushed  into  the  castle,  the  Countess  rushed 
from  her  apartments  to  defend  the  castle  gates.  It 
was,  however,  too  late.  The  castle  had  fallen  and 
the  Bishop  came  with  her  imprisoned  husband  into 
the  castle  court. 

It  was  very  evident  on  the  next  day  that  a  change 
had  taken  place  in  the  government.  The  day  was  a 
Sabbath,  and  the  Bishop  of  Munster  did  not  recog- 
nize the  Westphalian  Peace,  which  granted  religious 
liberty.  For  when  the  Reformed  court  preacher 
went  to  preach  in  the  castle  chapel,  he  was  prevented 
from  doing  so  by  the  Jesuits,  and  the  Jesuit,  Corler, 
read  mass  there  instead.  The  Bishop  left  fifty  sol- 
diers as  a  garrison  in  the  castle.    He  hoped  to  have 


192  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

as  little  trouble  in  converting  the  Countess  as  he  had 
had  in  proselyting  her  husband.  But  she  proved  a 
stronger  fortress  than  Bentheim  itself,  for  she  could 
not  be  moved,  as  the  Lord  was  her  rock.  They  used 
all  kinds  of  arguments  and  persuasions.  Then  they 
began  to  threaten  her,  but  everything  failed.  After 
the  Count  had  been  with  his  wife  a  few  days,  they 
tried  a  new  plan,  namely,  of  separating  her  from  her 
husband  until  she  would  become  Catholic.  So  her 
husband  was  ordered  to  go  to  Munster,  and  leave 
his  wife  in  the  hands  of  the  garrison  at  Bentheim. 
The  most  prominent  Reformed  officials  of  her  land 
were  dismissed.  The  condition  of  the  Reformed 
ministers  in  Bentheim  became  worse  and  worse.  Her 
court  preacher,  Sartorius,  was  transported  by  sol- 
diers out  of  the  land.  Part  of  the  Reformed  Church 
endowments  were  given  to  the  Jesuits.  Pastor 
Spiekman,  of  Neuenhaus,  was  imprisoned,  and  Pas- 
tor  Frank,  at  Schuttorf,  was  put  out  of  his  parson- 
age. The  Upper  Church  Council  was  filled  with  Ro- 
mish councillors,  who  now  took  charge  of  the 
church. 

All  this,  however,  was  not  enough.  The  Roman- 
ists felt  they  did  not  dare  leave  the  Countess  any 
longer  at  Bentheim.    So  this  poor,  much  persecuted, 


Countess  Gertrude  of  Bentheim.  193 

but  courageous  woman  was  taken  by  armed  men 
with  burning  torches  from  her  chamber,  after  hav- 
ing been  given  hardly  time  to  dress,  and  with  her 
young  babe,  under  military  escort,  was  sent  to 
Munster.  She  hoped  that  at  Munster  she  would  be 
able  again  to  meet  her  husband,  and  in  this  hope  she 
patiently  bore  the  ride.  When  she  arrived  there,  she 
was  placed  in  the  house  of  the  mayor  as  a  prisoner. 
The  Bishop  now  gave  her  the  command  that  she 
could  not  see  her  husband  until  she  had  caused  her 
children,  whom  she  had  sent  to  Holland,  to  be 
brought  back,  for  he  wanted  to  gain  control  of  them, 
so  as  to  convert  them  to  Rome.  She,  however,  re- 
mained steadfast  and  refused.  Then  new  trials  were 
put  upon  her  to  force  her  to  call  her  children  to 
Munster.  Most  of  her  remaining  servants  were 
taken  away  from  her,  and  then  they  threatened  that 
if  she  would  not  order  her  children  to  come  to 
Munster,  they  would  take  away  from  her  her  new- 
born babe ;  yes,  they  even  went  so  far  as  to  threaten 
to  put  her  to  death.  But  all  these  threats  were  in 
vain.  In  God's  strength  she  bore  them  all.  As  per- 
secution could  not  prevail  on  her,  they  now  had  re- 
course to  another  plan.  The  chancellor  of  the  Bish- 
op  prepared    a    request    to    the    States-General    of 


194  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

Holland,  which  said  that  the  Countess  had  become 
reconciled  to  the  Count  and  an  agreement  had  been 
reached  between  them  about  the  children,  and  that 
she  asked  that  the  Dutch  government  would  send 
the  children  to  Munster.  This  lie  was  placed  before 
her  to  sign.  She,  however,  cast  it  aside  with  noble 
scorn,  and  as  she  spoke  of  the  wickedness  of  such 
methods,  she  received  from  the  councillor  the  Jesu- 
itic answer:  "Right  or  wrong,  it  must  be  signed." 
The  end  justifies  the  means.  The  conversion  of  the 
children  to  Catholicism  would  cover  all  the  previous 
sins  of  deception.  They  then  forced  her  to  sign,  and 
a  noble  was  sent  to  Holland  with  this  letter  to  the 
Dutch  government.  But  fortunately  the  States- 
General  of  the  Netherlands  knew  how  she  was  being 
treated  and  refused.  Then  the  Jesuits  tried  to  plot, 
so  that  the  children  might  be  kidnapped. 

But  while  all  this  was  going  on  at  Munster,  sud- 
denly one  day  the  Countess  disappeared.  As  the 
family  of  the  mayor,  with  whom  she  was  staying, 
left  Munster  to  go  to  a  wedding,  she  seized  the  op- 
portunity for  flight.  For  after  she  had  signed  the 
paper,  they  had  become  a  little  more  lenient  with  her 
imprisonment.  After  she  had  ordered  her  chamber- 
lady  to  be  silent  about  her  flight,  and  simply  to  say 


Countess  Gertrude  of  Benthewi.  195 

she  was  ill,  one  evening  she  clothed  herself  in  the 
garment  of  a  servant  girl,  and  as  the  twilight  was 
falling,  she  left  Munster  with  her  child  and  her 
nurse.  At  a  distance  from  Munster  she  turned 
aside  into  an  inn  to  stay  over  night.  There  she  met 
a  farmer  from  Bentheim,  who  had  brought  mer- 
chants' goods  to  Munster  and  was  about  returning. 
She  asked  him,  without  telling  him  who  she  was,  to 
take  her  and  her  child  and  nurse  and  allow  them  to 
drive  with  him  till  morning.  The  farmer  took  her 
first  to  the  village  of  Ohne,  in  Bentheim,  and  then 
over  the  border  into  Holland.  There  she  revealed 
herself  to  him  and  gave  him  a  written  promise  to 
pay  him.  Then  she  fled  to  Deventer,  and  finally  to 
the  Hague.  The  farmer  who  had  aided  her  to  es- 
cape was  fined  500  gulden.  Whether  he  paid  this 
or  got  free  from  it  by  joining  the  Romish  Church, 
is  not  clear,  probably  the  latter.  The  flight  of  the 
Countess  was  not  discovered  till  the  third  day.  The 
chamber-lady  of  the  Countess  was  arrested  and 
watched  by  soldiers,  but  could  give  no  information 
about  the  flight. 

The  States-General  of  Holland  gave  her  protec- 
tion. The  Reformed  states  of  Germany,  Branden- 
burg and  Hesse  Cassel  took  up  her  case,  but  in  vain. 


196  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

For  the  Bishop  of  Munster,  by  a  decree,  June  8, 
1678,  pronounced  the  Count  divorced  from  her,  and 
hardly  was  this  done  than  the  Count  was  married 
to  a  Romish  princess.  She  entered  a  protest  against 
this  decree  for  the  sake  of  her  children,  and  present- 
ed it  to  the  Dutch  government,  and  then  went  to  bed 
sick,  August  5,  1678.  But  the  wrath  of  the  Bishop 
followed  her.  For  he  had  the  Emperor  issue  a  de- 
cree, April  17,  1678,  depriving  her  and  her  children 
of  all  rights  of  nobility,  and  thus  depriving  them  of 
succession  to  the  throne  of  Bentheim.  She  was  so 
completely  broken  down  by  the  persecutions  and 
the  disappointments  that  she  died  the  next  March 
29,  1679,  committing  her  children  to  the  care  of 
States-General  of  the  Netherlands.  She  was  a 
martyr  to  the  Reformed  faith. 

The  Reformed  in  Bentheim  were  persecuted. 
Their  consistory  was  deposed  and  Catholics  put  in 
their  places.  Many  ministers  had  their  salaries  less- 
ened. Others,  because  they  had  given  advice  to  the 
Countess  to  send  away  her  children,  or  because  they 
corresponded  with  her,  were  banished  or  imprison- 
ed. The  whole  county  groaned  under  the  quarter- 
ings,  marches  and  levyings  of  the  Bishop  of  Muns- 
ter. 


Countess  Gertrude  of  Bentheim.  197 

But  such  trickery  as  the  Romanists  used  never 
prospers.  God  never  blesses  it,  and  Providence 
frustrated  their  plans.  The  Count,  when  he  mar- 
ried Gertrude,  had  made  a  compact  that  only  the 
male  descendants  should  ascend  the  throne,  and  the 
females  only  when  the  males  had  died  off.  The 
child  of  the  second  marriage  of  the  Count  w^as  a 
girl,  so  at  the  Count^s  death  the  land  fell  to  his  Ro- 
mish cousin.  There  began  a  long  controversy  be- 
tween the  sons  of  Gertrude  and  the  ruling  princes  of 
Bentheim,  which  lasted  many  years.  This  was  not 
settled  until  in  1803,  when,  through  the  mediation 
of  Prussia,  England  and  Holland  (as  the  Catholic 
line  had  died  out),  the  throne  reverted  to  the  des- 
cendants of  Gertrude,  so  that  one  of  her  descend- 
ants now  rules  the  county  of  Bentheim.  Thus  clos- 
ed one  of  the  most  pathetic  stories  in  German  Re- 
formed history. 


VI. 
DUCHESS     CATHARINE     CHARLOTTE    OF     PALATINATE- 
NEUBURG. 

g^    HE    was    a   princess   of   one    of   the   lesser 
^*^       Palatinate     families,     and     was     born     at 
Zweibrucken    (southwest  of   Heidelberg), 


January  ii,  1615.  She  early  showed  herself 
a  lover  of  God's  Word.  When  sixteen  years 
of  age  she  was  married  to  the  Duke  of  Pala- 
tinate-Neuburg,  who  had  gone  over  to  Romanism 
and  who  showed  all  the  intemperate  zeal  of  a  prose- 
lyte. Yet  she  remained  true  to  her  Reformed  faith 
all  her  life,  although  she  often  suffered  for  it.  She 
took  with  her  to  her  new  home  at  Dusseldorf,  her 
Reformed  chaplain,  Hundius.  He  held  service  for 
her  there  three  times  a  week  in  her  private  chapel, 
and  every  day  he  read  and  expounded  a  portion  of 
the  Word  of  God  to  her,  so  that  in  five  years  he  had 
gone  over  the  whole  Bible  with  her.  When  the  Re- 
formed pastors  of  Zweibrucken  suffered  so  greatly 
on  account  of  the  persecutions  of  the  Thirty  Years' 
War,  she  gathered  together  many  things  to  aid  them. 
But  her  most  remarkable  act  was  her  deliverance 
of  Rev.  John  Lunenschloss,  the  pastor  of  the  Re- 

199 


200  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

formed  church  at  Soligen,  near  Dusseldorf.  Her 
husband,  as  an  ardent  Catholic,  tried  in  every  way 
to  oppress  his  Protestant  subjects.  But  in  spite  of 
his  oppressions,  the  brave  Lunenschloss  held  his 
congregation  together.  In  1626  the  Catholics  broke 
into  their  church  and  held  mass  there,  and  finally 
crowded  out  Lunenschloss  and  his  Reformed  people 
altogether.  When  they  could  no  longer  worship  in 
their  church,  they  held  service  in  the  city  hall.  But 
even  there  the  rage  of  the  Romanists  followed  them, 
for  they  entered  the  hall  and  broke  up  the  pulpit  and 
the  benches  in  it,  until  the  leader,  in  his  fury,  broke 
his  axe  in  his  hand.  But  still,  in  spite  of  all  this, 
the  brave  pastor  still  ministered  to  his  fiock.  The 
Catholics  failing  in  every  other  way,  finally  had 
Lunenschloss  arrested  and  forbidden  to  preach.  Still, 
he  contrived  to  gather  his  congregation  together  at 
various  places  for  worship.  In  1629,  the  Dutch 
captured  the  town  and  restored  to  the  Reformed 
their  church.  When  they  retired,  the  Catholics  an- 
noyed them  by  burning  straw  outside  the  church, 
and  finally  took  it  again.  In  1644,  the  Reformed,  as 
they  could  not  hold  services  in  the  church,  held  them 
on  the  church  steps.  There,  for  half  a  year,  they 
worshiped,    Lunenschloss   preaching   sometimes   in 


Duchess  Catharine  Charlotte.  201 

the  cold,  even  in  snow  and  rain.  May  the  Lord  give 
us  Hke  faithfulness  to  our  Church  and  its  services. 

On  June  11,  1645,  the  Reformed  broke  into  the 
side  door  of  the  church,  and  held  service.  On  the 
following  Sunday,  however,  the  councillors  of  the 
Duke  of  Palatinate-Neuburg,  appeared  and  forbade 
them  to  hold  services  there.  That  night  the  sol- 
diers came  to  the  house  of  the  faithful  Lunenschloss, 
broke  into  it,  and  tore  him  away  from  his  weeping 
family,  while  he  tried  to  strengthen  them  with  the 
first  question  of  the  Heidelberg  Catechism,  that 
''without  the  will  of  our  Heavenly  Father  not  one 
hair  can  fall  from  your  head."  The  Lord  honored 
such  faith.  The  soldiers  took  him  to  the  market- 
place of  the  town,  with  the  intention  of  shooting 
him.  But  just  as  they  were  about  to  do  it,  orders 
came  from  Dusseldorf,  that  they  should  not  shoot 
him,  but  bring  him  to  Dusseldorf  for  trial. 

As  they  traveled  toward  Dusseldorf  and  came  to 
Hilden,  a  carriage  passed  them  on  the  road.  As  it 
drove  past,  a  noble  lady  looked  out  of  the  window 
and  inquired  what  was  the  matter.  When  told  that 
the  soldiers  were  taking  a  Reformed  minister  to 
Dusseldorf  for  trial,  lo!  she  stopped  the  procession, 
and  ordered  them  to  let  the  prisoner  come  with  her 


202  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

Into  her  carriage.  She  was  none  other  than  the 
Duchess  Catharine  Charlotte,  who  was  traveling 
home  to  Dusseldorf.  Very  gladly  did  she  receive 
this  minister  into  her  carriage,  for  it  gave  her  an 
opportunity  to  converse  with  him  about  the  things  of 
God  and  about  the  Reformed  faith  so  dear  to  them 
both.  Behold  now  the  interposition  of  God, — the 
minister,  who  a  few  hours  before  expected  to  be 
killed  in  the  market  place,  and  who  had  been 
dragged  as  a  mere  criminal  along  the  road,  now  en- 
ters Dusseldorf,  not  as  a  prisoner,  but  as  the  com- 
panion of  the  princess.  Thus  God  honors  and  pro- 
tects his  children,  so  that  ''not  a  hair  falls.^' 

When  Lunenschloss  was  brought  before  the  Duke 
he  asked  the  minister  why  he  had  disobeyed  his  com- 
mands. He  made  the  noble  reply,  ''Your  Highness, 
it  is  my  duty  to  obey  God.  He  has  made  me  a 
watchman  over  my  congregation  and  I  must  give  an 
account  to  Him  of  every  soul  committed  to  my 
charge.  Therefore,  woe  to  me  if  I  leave  her  through 
fear  of  man.  On  the  contrary  I  am  ready  to  sacri- 
fice my  life  for  the  sake  of  my  congregation  and  of 
my  God."  The  Duke  was  surprised  at  his  stead- 
fastness and  earnestness.  He  offered  him  gifts  and 
honors,  if  he  would  renounce  his  Reformed  faith  and 


Duchess  Catharine  Charlotte.  203 

go  over  to  Romanism,  but  Lunenschloss  declared 
that  nothing  would  ever  make  him  give  up  his  faith. 
The  Duke,  instead  of  punishing  him,  was  so  im- 
pressed by  him  that  he  offered  to  do  some  favor  for 
him,  if  he  had  any  to  ask.  Whereat,  Lunenschloss 
modestly  asked  that  his  descendants  might  be  ad- 
mitted to  the  guild  of  stone-cutters  at  Solingen  (for 
the  Reformed  were  shut  out  from  all  such  positions 
through  the  Romish  regulations).  The  Duke 
granted  his  request  and  also  permitted  him  to  re- 
turn to  Solingen  to  minister  to  his  people.  He  con- 
tinued pastor  there  until  165 1,  when  he  died. 

The  Duchess,  who  befriended  him  was  a  beautiful 
character.  Her  kindness  to  the  poor  was  well 
known.  She  dispensed  favors  to  Reformed  and  Ro- 
manists alike.  She  had  poor  orphans  taught  trades 
at  her  own  expense,  and  she  visited  the  widows  and 
dried  their  tears  by  her  sympathy  and  prayers.  The 
Romanists,  with  her  husband,  tried  to  proselyte  her 
to  Rome,  but  all  in  vain.  She  was  too  strongly 
grounded  in  the  Reformed  faith.  Against  them  she 
drew  up  her  own  confession  of  her  Reformed  faith. 
And  in  that  faith  she  died  in  1651,  having  lived  in 
the  Catholic  court  for  twenty  years.  Her  pastor, 
Hundius,  was  very  faithful  to  her  and  she  highly 
valued  his  ministrations.    When  she  came  to  die,  he 


204  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

read  to  her  the  thirty-eighth  Psalm,  in  which  were 
the  words,  ''Lord,  leave  me  not.'^  The  Lord  did  not 
leave  her,  but  strengthened  her  in  her  last  hour, 
while  her  husband  (who  even  in  her  dying  mo- 
ments fondly  hoped  to  win  her  to  Rome),  prayed, 
''Lord,  remember  not  her  unbelief/^  She  prayed, 
"My  Lord,  give  me  more  grace  than  I  am  worthy 
of.'^  She  was  one  of  the  martyr-spirits,  for  all  those 
years  she  suffered  for  her  faith,  yet  she  was  found 
faithful  when  death  came.  Hundius  preached  her 
funeral  sermon  on  John  3:16,  and  said,  "that  this 
princess  had  so  loved  the  Lord  and  His  Word,  that 
it  tempered  all  her  trials."  She  loved  it  so  much  that 
she  never  missed  a  sermon,  save  when  hindered  by 
sickness.  And  when  she  saw  any  one  in  the  church 
without  a  Bible  and  paying  no  attention  to  the  ex- 
position of  the  text,  she  was  greatly  dissatisfied.  In 
her  last  moments,  though  surrounded  by  her  hus- 
band and  the  Jesuits,  she  urged  her  servants  to  re- 
main true  to  the  Reformed  faith.  She  was  a  great 
favorite  in  the  land,  and  the  Presbyterium  of  the 
Dusseldorf  Reformed  congregation  paid  a  beautiful 
tribute  to  her  memory.  She,  with  the  Countess  Ur- 
sula of  Hadamer,  and  Countess  Gertrude  of  Bent- 
heim,  were  beautiful  sufferers  for  the  Reformed 
faith  from  Romish  husbands  during  the  Thirty 
Years^  War. 


T 


VII. 
PRINCESS  ELIZABETH  OF  THE  PALATINATE. 

HE  most  intellectual  princess  the  Re- 
formed Church  ever  possessed  was 
Princess     Elizabeth     of     the     Palatinate. 


She  was  the  brightest  light  of  the  Palatinate 
house  after  the  days  of  Elector  Frederick  III., 
who  ordered  the  composition  of  our  catechism.  She 
was  a  pupil  of  Descartes  and  the  correspondent  of 
Leibnitz,  the  celebrated  philosophers,  and  on  inti- 
mate terms  with  other  learned  men  of  her  day.  She 
combined  with  her  native  ability  the  broad  principles 
of  the  house  of  Brandenburg  (in  which  her  abbey 
was  located),  namely  of  religious  toleration;  for  her 
home  became  the  asylum  of  all  refugees.  And  yet 
to  all  her  learning  she  added  piety,  which  beautified 
and  sanctified  it.  She  was  the  disciple  of  both  the 
philosophy  of  Descartes  and  of  the  religious  faith  of 
the  Pietists. 

She  was  the  eldest  daughter  of  Elector  Frederick 
V.  and  Electress  Elizabeth  of  the  Palatinate,  and 
was  born  December  26,  1618,  at  Heidelberg.  Eliza- 
beth suffered  the  sad  fate  of  her  father's  family. 
When  her  father  left  Heidelberg  to  go  to  Bohemia 

205 


2o6  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

to  take  the  throne,  she  was  left  behind  in  the  care  of 
her  grandmother,  Electress  JiiHana.  And  when  the 
coming  of  the  Spaniards  compelled  her  grandmother 
to  leave  the  Palatinate  and  flee,  she  was  taken  along 
with  her  to  Konigsberg,  where  she  found  an  asy- 
lum. She  remained  with  Juliana  till  she  was  nearly 
ten  years  old.  It  was  the  sublime  faith  and  religious 
earnestness  of  her  grandmother  that  early  helped  to 
lay  the  foundations  for  the  serious  thoughtfulness  of 
Elizabeth.  Then  she  was  sent  to  the  Hague  in  Hol- 
land, where  her  father's  family  were  living  quietly 
in  exile  in  the  little  village  of  Rheten.  And  yet  her 
sad  reverses  continued.  Her  dearest  brother,  next 
older  than  herself,  and  her  playmate,  was  drowned. 
Then  came  her  father's  death,  and  with  that  her  hope 
of  worldly  position  faded  away.  And  her  mother 
seems  to  have  failed  to  recognize  her  ability  for  a 
long  while,  so  that  there  was  a  coldness  toward  her. 
But  she  bore  all  these  things  philosophically,  and 
her  adversities  turned  out  to  be  blessings  in  dis- 
guise. For  her  family,  when  driven  to  Holland,  had 
settled  in  one  of  the  most  learned  lands  of  Europe. 
Holland  was  at  that  time  the  home  of  painters,  poets 
and  thinkers.  She  was  the  classic  land  of  the  Re- 
formed theology  of  the  seventeenth  century.     To 


Princess  Elisabeth  of  the  Palatinate.        207 

this  land  of  learning  there  came  one  of  the  greatest 
thinkers  of  modern  times,  Rene  Descartes,  who  was 
ultimately  to  revolutionize  men's  methods  of 
thought.  Elizabeth  had  already  made  great  pro- 
press  in  her  studies  before  she  met  Descartes.  She 
made  no  pretension  to  beauty,  but  had  an  expressive 
eye  and  a  pleasing  countenance.  She  had  developed 
so  quickly  and  brightly,  that  Ladislaus,  the  king  of 
Poland,  had  sought  her  hand  when  she  was  only 
fifteen  years  of  age.  But  the  suit  came  to  naught, 
because  she  refused  to  barter  away  her  Reformed 
faith  and  go  over  to  the  Romanists. 

After  that  she  was  wedded  to  philosophy,  and 
gave  up  the  thought  of  marriage.  Descartes  was 
introduced  to  Elizabeth  and  the  Palatinate  family  by 
the  Count  Dohna,  an  adept  in  the  Cartesian  philo- 
sophy, and  became  her  teacher.  He  was  soon  de- 
lighted and  surprised  to  find  in  her  a  scholar  so  cap- 
able of  exploring  with  him  erudite  questions  and  of 
comprehending  sublime  truths.  This  appointment 
of  Descartes  as  her  tutor  proved  very  helpful  to  him. 
For  in  this  noble  family  he  first  found  the  support- 
ers necessary  to  help  him  on  to  fame.  He,  there- 
fore, in  order  to  be  near  them,  lived  at  Eyndegeest, 
about  a  mile  and  a  half  from  Rheten,  for  two  years. 


2o8  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

And  when  he  went  to  North  Holland  afterwards,  he 
continued  his  correspondence,  especially  with  Eliza- 
beth, and  would  often  visit  the  Hague,  so  as  to  meet 
his  favorite  pupil.  This  little  court  of  the  Palatinate 
family,  although  in  exile,  thus  became  famous  for 
its  beauty  and  learning,  so  that  it  was  called  ''the 
home  of  the  muses  and  graces/'  Among  them  all, 
Elizabeth  had  the  greatest  talent  for  learning. 
Bromley  says  that  ''of  the  three  illustrious  sisters  of 
that  family,  Louisa  was  the  greatest  artist,  Sophia 
the  most  perfect  lady  in  Europe,  but  Elizabeth  was 
the  most  learned."  She  made  such  progress  in 
philosophy,  that  she  became  famous  as  "the  Star  of 
the  North.''  In  order  to  appreciate  the  greatness  of 
this,  it  is  to  be  remembered  that  up  to  that  time 
women  had  taken  little  part  in  learning.  For  it  was 
supposed  that  it  was  above  the  sphere  or  power  of 
woman  to  excel  in  philosophy.  So  her  learning  as- 
tonished the  world.  It  happened,  too,  just  at  that 
time,  that  another  woman  appeared  as  a  great  think- 
er, Anna  Schurman.  And  yet,  although  Schurman 
was  talented  with  both  the  chisel  and  the  pencil, 
Madame  de  Guebriant  confessed  that  she  was  in- 
ferior to  the  Palatinate  princess,  Elizabeth.  Eliza- 
beth continued  her  correspondence  with  Descartes, 


Princess  Elizabeth  of  the  Palatinate.        209 

and  in  their  letters  they  discussed  the  deepest  ques- 
tions of  philosophy  and  theology,  such  as  the  union 
of  soul  and  body,  God's  omnipotence  and  omnisci- 
ence, and  man's  free  agency  and  virtue.  Descartes 
dedicated  his  leading  philosophical  work,  "The 
Principles  of  Philosophy,"  to  her.  She  would  of- 
ten in  her  letters  express  doubts  as  to  his  positions 
and  offer  criticisms,  while  he  on  his  part  was  not 
backward  in  reminding  her  when  she  seemed  to  him 
to  be  wrong  in  her  ideas,  yet  the  correspondence 
was  mutually  agreeable  and  helpful.  Thus  when  in 
1645  her  younger  brother  went  over  to  the  Romish 
faith  and  she  was  by  it  thrown  on  a  bed  of  sickness, 
Descartes  criticised  her  for  her  want  of  liberality  to- 
ward the  Catholics. 

In  1647  she  left  Holland  for  Brandenburg,  where 
at  the  court  of  her  uncle,  the  Elector  of  Branden- 
burg, she  seems  to  have  found  quite  a  congenial 
home.  She  soon  gained  fame  among  scholars  there, 
through  a  disputation  that  she  had  with  the  celebrat- 
ed Thomas  Kresbesch,  which  revealed  her  ability 
and  gained  for  her  great  applause.  She,  too,  suc- 
:eeded  in  disseminating  Descartes'  books  to  some 
extent  in  eastern  Germany,  where  as  yet  he  was 
tomparatively  unknown.     She  thus  perhaps  scatter- 


210  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

ed  seed  that  harvested  itself  afterward  in  the  new 
university  of  Duisburg,  whose  first  professors  were 
followers  of  Descartes.  It  was  while  she  was  stay- 
ing there  that  she  learned  with  great  sorrow  of  the 
death  of  her  teacher  Descartes  in  1650.  True  to  him 
in  her  friendship,  she,  however,  had  never  allowed 
his  philosophy  of  doubt  to  undermine  her  faith,  but 
she  rather  sought  to  utilize  what  was  good  in  it  to 
strengthen  her  faith  in  religion  and  in  God.  Had 
the  rationalists  of  the  next  century  used  Descartes' 
principles  thus,  they  would  never  have  landed  in  the 
maelstrom  of  thougiit  that  threatened  to  shipwreck 
Lhem. 

After  the  Thirty  Years'  War  was  over,  she  went 
to  the  old  family  home  at  Heidelberg,  which  she  had 
left  when  four  years  old.  Here  her  philosophical 
tastes  and  literary  talents  brought  her  into  intimacy 
with  the  professors  of  the  university,  especially  with 
Professor  John  Henry  Hottinger.  He  compared  her 
to  Olympia  Morata,  who  had  come  to  Heidelberg- 
university  in  the  preceding  century,  and  who  was  a 
great  scholar  and  correspondent  of  Melanchthon. 
Through  a  relative  she  was  also  made  acquainted 
with  the  celebrated  theologian,  John  Crocius,  whose 
broader  theological  views  suited  her  taste.     But  her 


Princess  Elizabeth  of  the  Palatinate.        21 1 

stay  at  Heidelberg  became  uncomfortable  for  her, 
for  her  brother's  parsimony  made  it  mipleasant.  And 
when  her  brother  put  away  his  wife,  Princess  Char- 
lotte of  Hesse  Cassel,  and  married  the  Raugrafin 
Louisa  of  Degenfeld,  she  sympathized  with  Char- 
lotte and  aided  her  to  escape ;  and  so  felt  the  dis- 
grace of  her  brother,  that  she  left  Heidelberg  (1662) 
and  went  to  Cassel,  where  she  lived  with  her  sister- 
in-law.  In  1667  she  was  very  fortunate  in  receiving 
the  appointment  from  the  Elector  of  Brandenburg 
as  abbess  of  Herford.  This  had  been  an  old  Romish 
abbey,  which  had  become  Lutheran  in  the  Reforma- 
tion. 

During  the  Thirty  Years'  War  the  Elector  had 
begun  appointing  Reformed  princesses  as  abbesses, 
and  so  now  appointed  her.  This  appointment  re- 
lieved her  from  being  a  pensioner  on  any  of  her  rela- 
tives, and  also  gave  her  standing  in  the  German  em- 
pire. For  it  made  her  a  political  member  of  that 
empire.  She  was  authorized  to  send  a  deputy  to  its 
diets,  and  required  to  furnish  one  horseman  and  six 
foot  soldiers  for  the  imperial  army.  She  also  had  to 
preside  over  a  court  of  justice,  and  exercised  author- 
ity over  about  seven  thousand  inhabitants.  Her  ter- 
ritory was  small  and  her  income  therefore  limited, 


212  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

but  she  exercised  great  economy  and  banished  all 
luxury  from  her  little  castle.  Her  chief  diversion 
was  knitting,  and  on  Saturdays  she  sat  as  judge. 
Here  her  patience  and  justice  were  admirable,  being 
tempered  with  mercy,  and  she  often  adding  religious 
instruction.  Here  this  cultivated  princess  lived,  sur- 
rounded by  rude,  ignorant  country-folk,  and  yet  she 
enjoyed  it,  for  she  was  able  to  relieve  distress  and 
better  their  condition.  She  gathered  around  herself 
in  the  castle  a  company  of  like-minded  souls.  The 
highly-gifted  Anna  Shurman  eagerly  accepted  an 
invitation  to  visit  Elizabeth,  so  like  her  in  intel- 
lectual and  religious  tastes.  Both  had  been  disciples 
of  Descartes,  but  Anna  was  the  more  enthusiastic 
and  visionary;  Elizabeth  the  more  profound  and 
fonder  of  abstractions.  She  also  threw  open  her 
land  to  all  who  desired  refuge.  It  was  this  liberal 
spirit  that  brought  her  providentially  into  contact 
with  the  pietism  of  Labadie  and  also  led  to  her  as- 
sociation with  William  Penn.  Labadie  and  his  con- 
gregation from  Holland  having  left  the  State  Church 
were  looked  down  upon  as  separatists;  for  at  that 
time  the  idea  of  a  free  Church,  independent  of  the 
State,  was  not  dreamt  of,  and  many  of  the  separat- 
ists had  been  fanatics.    So  when  they  came  to  settle 


Princess  Elisabeth  of  the  Palatinate.        213 

in  her  land  (1670),  its  inhabitants,  the  magistrates 
and  the  Lutheran  ministers  rose  against  their  com- 
ing and  appealed  to  her.  As  she  did  not  grant  their 
wishes,  they  appealed  to  the  Elector  of  Branden- 
burg, asking  that  these  strangers  should  be  ordered 
out  of  the  land.  But  the  Elector  at  first  permitted 
them  to  stay,  as  he  saw  Elizabeth  wished  by  it  to 
spread  the  Reformed  faith,  although  he  urged  Eliz- 
abeth to  be  watchful  over  them.  She  graciously 
protected  them  against  their  enemies,  and  gave  to 
the  world  an  illustration  of  the  beautiful  principle 
of  religious  toleration.  She  was  in  turn  affected  by 
their  earnestness  and  zeal,  for  it  is  evident,  that  as 
she  became  older,  she  was  deepening  in  spirituality. 
She  had  to  endure  a  good  deal  of  ridicule  for  thus 
protecting  the  Labadists,  even  from  some  of  her  own 
noble  relatives.  Thus  her  sister,  the  beautiful 
Duchess  Sophia  of  Hanover,  visited  her  and  tried 
to  laugh  at  the  religious  earnestness  of  the  followers 
of  Labadie.  But  although  she  remained  friendly  to 
them,  she  was  not  able  to  give  them  an  asylum  for 
more  than  two  years,  for  the  other  governments 
compelled  her  to  send  them  away.  But  in  it  all  she 
showed  her  love  of  religious  liberty. 

Her  treatment  of  the  followers  of  Labadie  called 


214  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

the  attention  of  William  Penn  to  her.  He,  too,  was 
about  to  lay  out  a  colony  in  the  western  world, 
called  Pennsylvania,  for  which  her  little  land  of 
Herford  set  the  example  of  religious  liberty. 

Penn's  visit  to  her  at  Herford,  1677,  is  quite  inter- 
esting. He  stayed  there  three  days.  On  the  first 
day  at  7  a.  m.  he  called  on  the  princess,  and  was  sur- 
prised to  be  received  with  such  warm  ex])ressions  of 
welcome.  Pie  said  the  conduct  of  persons  in  such 
an  exalted  station  confirmed  his  hopes  that  the  day 
of  the  Lord  was  approaching.  He  therefore  took 
courage  and  began  preaching.  And  they  had  a  re- 
ligious service  which  lasted  from  7  to  11  o'clock. 
In  the  afternoon  Penn  and  his  conipanion  returned 
to  her  castle,  and  found  the  princess  had  invited  her 
intimate  friend,  the  Countess  of  Horn,  and  several 
others  to  the  service.  He  held  services  there  till  7 
p.  m.,  and  all,  both  preachers  and  hearers,  were 
deeply  affected.  The  next  day  being  the  day  when 
the  princess  received  audiences  and  petitions,  they 
did  not  get  to  see  her  till  9  a.  m.,  but  then  all  the 
inferior  servants  were  also  present.  In  the  after- 
noon he  fulfilled  his  promise  made  to  her  in  the 
morning  and  narrated  the  story  of  his  conversion  to 
to  the  Quaker  faith,  together  with  the  persecutions 


Princess  Elizabeth  of  the  Palatinate.         215 

whicli  he  had  suffered  for  it.  His  story  was  inter- 
rupted by  supper.  He  then  took  supper  with  her, 
and  afterwards  again  continued  befoje  them  the 
story  of  his  conversion.  This  lasted  till  11  o'clock, 
p.  m.,  when  they  returned  to  their  lodgings.  On  the 
next  day,  the  last  of  their  stay,  not  only  the  resi- 
dents of  the  castle,  but  also  the  inhabitants  of  the 
town,  were  present.  The  service  began  with  much 
prayer.  Penn  says  of  this  meeting:  "Yea,  the 
quickening  power  and  life  of  Jesus  wrought  and 
reached  them;  and  virtue  from  Him,  in  whom  dwell- 
cth  the  Godhead  bodily,  vv^ent  forth  and  distilled 
upon  us  His  heavenly  life,  sweeter  than  the  pure 
frankincense,  yea,  than  the  sweet-smelling  myrrh 
which  Cometh  from  a  far  country.  And  as  it  began, 
so  it  was  carried  on,  and  so  it  ended."  After  the 
meeting  was  over,  the  princess  gave  him  good-bye, 
and  was  so  overcome  by  her  feelings  that  she  could 
hardly  give  expression  to  her  words.  And  as  she 
bade  him  farewell,  she  most  earnestly  begged  him 
to  come  again. 

Penn  then  proceeded  up  the  Rhine  in  his  travels 
until  he  came  to  the  Palatinate.  There  he  tried  to 
see  the  Elector  of  the  Palatinate,  the  brother  to 
Elizabeth.    The  Elector,  too,  had  taken  his  stand  for 


2i6  Women  of  the  Reformed  CJntreh. 

religious  freedom,  and  had  given  an  asylum  to  those 
of  other  faiths.  When  the  Quaker  Ames  was  com- 
pelled to  flee  from  Neugier,  the  elector  gave  him  an 
asylum.  Indeed,  Elizabeth  had  first  learned  to  know 
about  the  Quakers  from  Ames,  when  at  her  broth- 
er's court  in  1659.  But  Penn  failed  to  meet  the 
Elector. 

After  his  return  from  England  he  again 
visited  Princess  Elizabeth  at  her  home  at  Her- 
ford.  He  was  again  gladly  received,  and  held 
meetings  as  before.  But  he  now  found  there 
the  Count  of  Dohna,  one  of  the  prominent 
nobles  of  the  Brandenburg  house.  Dohna 
and  he  had  soon  got  into  a  debate  about  the 
nature  of  Christianity  and  of  conversion.  Thev 
finally,  however,  agreed  that  self-denial  was  neces- 
sary. Penn  then  gave  an  account  of  his  withdrawal 
from  the  world,  when  he  became  a  Quaker.  Dohna 
then  attacked  the  peculiar  custom  of  the  Quakers  in 
never  lifting  their  hats,  no,  not  even  to  kings.  Penn 
tried  to  show  him  that  such  an  act  was  *'a  weed  of 
degeneracy,  a  mere  fleshly  honor,''  that  it  often  cov- 
ered insincerity,  and  that  the  hat  should  be  lifted  to 
no  one  but  to  God  alone,  when  taken  off  in  God's 
house.     But  Penn,  notwithstanding  the  debate,  held 


Princess  Elirjahcfh  of  the  PaJatiuatc.         217 

his  services  before  the  princess,  and  when  he  left, 
they  invoked  blessings  on  each  other.  After  his  de- 
parture she  still  continued  to  correspond  with  him. 
Her  letters  reveal  her  beautiful  piety.  She  said : 
"My  house  and  my  heart  are  always  open  to  those 
who  love  God."'  This  correspondence  between  Penn 
and  her  was  only  broken  by  her  death  in  1680.  Penn 
was  greatly  affected  by  it.  He  had  a  true  regard  for 
her.  And  two  years  after  her  deatli,  when  he  pub- 
lished his  second  edition  of  his  book,  "No  Cross,  No 
Crown''  (which  he  had  written  when  imprisoned  in 
the  Tower  of  London),  he  perpetuated  her  memory 
by  inserting  her  name  there  among  the  ancient  and 
modern  benefactors  of  mankind.  He  thus  closes  his 
eulogy  on  her:  "She  lived  her  single  life  till  about 
60  years  of  age,  and  then  departed  at  her  own  house 
at  Herwarden  (Plerford)  as  much  lamented  as  she 
had  lived — beloved  by  her  people,  to  whose  real 
worth  I  do  with  religious  gratitude  dedicate  this 
memorial.''  This  eulogy  was  written  in  the  same 
year  in  which  he  sailed  for  America  to  administer 
his  affairs  here :  so  that  it  is  evident  that  his  first 
meeting  with  her  was  coincident  with  his  first  inter- 
est in  America,  and  his  last  remarks  about  her  were 
coincident  with  his  going  there.     His  relations  to 


2t8  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

her  were  coincident  with  his  relations  to  America, 
and  prepared  him  to  show  special  interest  as  he  did 
later  in  our  German  Reformed  forefathers  who  came 
to  Pennsylvania  in  the  eighteenth  century.  He  felt 
he  was  returning  a  deht  of  gratitude  to  her  by  allow- 
ing her  Church  to  be  founded  here.  Our  German 
Reformed  Church  here  may  thus  be  said  to  be  a 
lasting  memorial  to  Princess  Elizabeth. 

Penn  visited  her,  hoping  to  make  her  a  convert 
to  the  Quaker  religion,  but  she  ever  remained  an 
adherent  to  the  Reformed  faith  of  her  childhood,  al- 
though the  inhabitants  of  her  land  were  Lutherans. 
Her  pietism  ofifset  the  dangerous  tendency  of  Des- 
cartes' philosophy  toward  rationalism.  During  her 
later  years  she  still  continued  in  correspondence 
with  the  leading  thinkers  of  her  age,  such  as  Male- 
branche  and  Leibnitz.  She  seems  to  have  exerted  a 
remarkable  influence  in  the  progress  of  humait 
thought.  We  have  seen  how  Descartes'  association 
with  her  and  her  family  aided  him  to  gain  his  influ- 
ence in  the  world.  Now  again  it  was  she  who  in- 
troduced Leibnitz  to  Malebranche's  book  in  which 
he  ventilates  his  views  of  correspondences,  and  tries 
to  prove  that  his  philosophy  was  in  harmony  with 
Christianity.     Leibnitz  carried  this  one  step  farther 


Princess  Elizabeth  of  the  Palatinate.        219 

in  his  views  of  pre-existent  harmony.  She  was  al- 
ways busy  in  aiding  Hteratnre  and  science.  She  en- 
riched the  Hbrary  of  her  abbey  with  many  books. 
Her  last  days,  however,  were  saddened  as  she  saw 
her  family  was  dying  out,  and  there  was  danger  of  a 
Rom.ish  prince  becoming  ruler  of  the  Palatinate.  She 
died  at  Herford,  February  11,  1680,  aged  sixty-two 
years.  She  was  buried  in  the  choir  of  the  cathedral 
church  at  Herford,  where  the  following  epitaph  is 
over  her:  "She  bore  a  mind  so  truly  royal,  that 
amid  all  the  reverses  of  fortune  it  remained  uncon- 
quered.  By  her  constancy  and  greatness  of  soul,  by 
her  singular  prudence  in  the  conduct  of  life,  by  her 
uncommon  attainments  in  knowledge,  by  learning 
far  above  her  sex,  by  the  respect  of  kings  and  the 
friendship  of  the  illustrious,  by  the  correspondence 
and  admiring  tributes  of  the  learned,  by  the  united 
regard  and  applause  of  the  whole  Christian  world, 
but  chiefly  by  her  own  admirable  virtue,  she  attached 
undying  honor  to  her  name." 


ELECTRESS  LOUISA  HENRIETTA  OF  BRANDENBURG 


VIII. 
ELECTRES3    LOUISA    HENRIETTA    OF    BRANDENBURG. 

A  I  SAINT  of  the  Reformed  Church  was  Elec- 
tress  Louisa  Henrietta  of  Branaenburg. 


What  Miriam  was  among  the  Israelites, 
she  was  to  the  Reformed,  the  first  sweet  singer 
among  the  women  of  Israel.  She  was  the  author  ol 
the  famous  German  hymn,  "J^sus  meine  Zuversicht" 
(Jesus,  my  Redeemer,  lives).  She  was  a  Dutch 
princess  of  the  famous  line  of  Orange,  that  ruled  the 
Netherlands.  She  was  born  November  27,  1627,  at 
the  Hague  in  Holland,  and  was  descended  from  the 
great  families  of  William  of  Orange  and  Coligny. 
Her  father,  Count  Frederick  Henry  of  Orange- 
Nassau,  had  been  governor  of  the  Netherlands  from 
1625  to  1647.  Her  mother  was  a  beautiful  German 
princess.  Countess  Amalia  of  Solms.  She  was  thus 
of  noble  blood,  but  made  nobler  by  grace.  Both  of 
her  parents  were  of  the  Reformed  faith.  Her  moth- 
er, although  French  customs  had  become  fashion- 
able, yet  did  not  think  it  beneath  her  to  train  her 
daughter  in  the  mysteries  of  housekeeping.  She 
also  educated  her  with  great  care,  and  Louisa  grew 

221 


222  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

up  tall,  fair-haired  and  graceful.  Her  religious 
training  she  received  from  Rivet,  a  Reformed  theo- 
logian. She  loved  to  read  the  Bible  and  it  became 
her  constant  companion.  Many  passages,  especially 
from  Isaiah,  remained  in  her  memory  as  the  result 
of  her  early  education. 

When  she  was  about  eighteen  years  of  age,  the 
young  Elector  of  Brandenburg,  whose  capital  was 
at  Berlin,  was  in  western  Germany  busily  watch- 
ing the  negotiations  that  closed  the  Thirty  Years' 
War.  And  he  also  began  negotiations  of  love,  as  well 
as  of  peace.  As  he  had  been  reared  partly  in  Hol- 
land, he  knew  her  when  a  little  girl,  and  had  heard 
of  her  beauty  as  a  young  lady.  This  brave  young 
prince  therefore  proposed  to  this  beautiful  princess, 
and  was  accepted.  Of  course  there  were  difficulties 
in  the  way,  for  when  did  the  course  of  true  love  run 
smooth?  The  Thirty  Years'  War  had  so  impover- 
ished his  land,  that  he  had  to  borrow  3000  thalers 
of  his  mother  in  order  to  be  married.  And  Louisa, 
too,  was  restrained  somewhat  by  lier  father's  failing 
health.  But  the  wedding  nevertheless  came  off  De- 
cember 7,  1646,  with  great  splendor,  as  was  ijecom- 
ing  princes  of  such  high  rank.  The  bride  wore  a 
costly  dress  of  silver  brocade,  rich  with  Brabant  lace. 


Electrcss  Louisa  Henrietta.  223 

A  crown  of  brilliants  and  pearls  adorned  her  head. 
The  long  train  of  her  dress  was  carried  by  six  ladies 
of  noble  birth.  The  Elector  was  not  less  elegantly 
dressed.  He  wore  a  vest  and  pants  of  white  satin. 
The  front  of  his  vest  was  so  full  of  diamonds  that 
one  could  hardly  discover  the  color  of  the  cloth. 
There  were  many  valuable  presents  made  to  them  by 
relatives  and  foreign  courts.  A  medal  was  struck 
which  represented  the  young  couple  with  joined 
hands. 

But  the  bride  did  not  go  with  her  husband  to 
Germany,  on  account  of  the  ill  health  of  her  father. 
She  remained  faithfully  with  him  until  he  died,  three 
months  after  her  wedding.  After  his  death  she  ac- 
companied her  husband  to  Cleve  in  western  Ger- 
many. Here  her  first  child  was  born.  The  peace  of 
Westphalia  having  closed  the  Thirty  Years'  War, 
the  Elector  in  the  autumn  of  1648  started  for  his 
capital  in  eastern  Germany.  On  the  journey  their 
child  died  at  Wesel,  to  the  great  sorrow  of  the  par- 
ents. The  journey  across  Germany  to  Berlin  lasted 
six  months,  and  was  a  very  sad  one.  It  was  sad  to 
her  because  of  the  loss  of  her  child.  But  it  was  made 
all  the  sadder  because  of  the  terrible  devastation 
of  the  country  through  which  they  passed,  caused  by 


224  IV omen  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

the  awful  Thirty  Years'  War.  The  roads  were  in  a 
frightful  condition,  the  fields  were  desolate,  the  peo- 
ple were  poor  and  many  of  them  starving.  Their 
sufferings,  added  to  her  sorrows,  made  the  journey 
very  sad.  But  her  sorrows  only  drove  her  closer  to 
her  Lord.  They  led  her  so  near  to  Him,  that  they 
gave  her  the  inspiration  to  write  her  immortal 
hymn,  "Jesus,  meine  Zuversicht."  Sad  hearts  sing 
sweetest  songs.  While  on  her  journey,  she  rested 
for  a  month  at  Tangermunde,  and  there,  probably, 
she  composed  that  hymn : 

Jesus,  my  Redeemer,  lives, 

Christ,  my  trust,  is  dead  no  more! 

In  the  strength  this  knowledge  gives, 

Shall  not  all  my  fears  be  o'er; 

Calm,  though  death's  long  night  be  fraught 

Still  with  many  an  anxious  thought? 

The  hymn  is  evidently  based  on  the  forty-sixth 
Psalm:  "God  is  our  refuge  (Zuversicht)  and 
strength,"  and  also  on  Job  19:25,  zy.  *T  know  that 
my  Redeemer  liveth,"  and  on  I  Corinthians  15.  It 
was  the  expression  of  her  confidence  in  God,  which 
was  the  key  to  her  life.  It  has  been  questioned 
whether  she  knew  enough  German  to  write  such  a 
hymn.    But  it  is  now  well  accepted  that  even  though 


El ec tress  Louisa  Henrietta.  225 

another  hand  may  have  poHshed  it  of  its  Holland- 
isms,  yet  the  composition  and  the  expression  is  hers. 
Runge,  who  published  it  for  her,  ascribes  it  to  her. 
It  has  become  one  of  the  great  Easter  hymns  of  the 
German  Church  (for  Gellert's  great  Easter  hymn 
was  not  written  till  many  years  after),  and  is  often 
sung  at  death-beds  and  funerals.    It  continues  thus : 

Jesus,  my  Redeemer,  lives, 
And  His  life  I  soon  shall  see; 
Bright  the  hope  this  promise  gives; 
Where  He  is,  I  too  shall  be. 
Shall  I  fear  Him?     Can  the  head 
Rise  and  leave  the  members  dead? 

Close  to  Him  my  soul  is  bound, 
In  the  bonds  of  hope  enclasped; 
Faith's  strong  hand  this  hold  hath  found, 
And  the  Rock  hath  firmly  grasped. 
Death  shall  ne'er  my  soul  remove 
From  her  refuge  in  Thy  love. 

I  shall  see  Him  with  these  eyes, 
Him  whom  I  shall  surely  know, 
Not  another  shall  I  rise; 
With  His  love  my  heart  shall  glow; 
Only  there  shall  disappear 
Weakness  in  and  round  me  here. 


226  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

Ye  who  suffer,  sigh  and  moan, 
Fresh  and  glorious  there  shall  reign; 
Earthly  here  the  seed  is  sown, 
Heavenly  it  shall  rise  again; 
Natural  here  the  death  we  die, 
Spiritual  our  life  on  high. 

Body,  be  thou  of  good  cheer, 
In  thy  Savior's  care  rejoice; 
Give  not  place  to  gloom  and  fear. 
Dead,  thou  yet  shalt  know  His  voice, 
When  the  final  trump  is  heard. 
And  the  deaf,  cold  grave  is  stirred. 

Laugh  to  scorn  then  death  and  hell, 
Fear  no  more  the  gloomy  grave; 
Caught  into  the  air  to  dwell 
With  the  Lord  who  comes  to  save. 
We  shall  trample  on  our  foes. 
Mortal  weakness,  fear  and  woes. 

Only  see  ye  that  your  heart 
Rise  betimes  from  earthly  lust; 
Would  ye  there  with  Him  have  part. 
Here  obey  your  Lord  and  trust. 
Fix  your  hearts  above  the  skies, 
Whither  ye  yourselves  would  rise. 

How  grandly  she  rises  over  her  sorrows  in  this 
hymn,  and  how  sweetly  she  comforts  others.     This 


Electrcss  Louisa  Henrietta.  227 

hymn  has  become  historical.  It  became  a  favorite 
one  in  the  royal  family  of  Prussia.  One  of  her  suc- 
cessors, Queen  Louisa,  the  good  angel  of  Prussia  at 
the  beginning  of  this  century  and  during  the  wars 
of  Napoleon,  was  once  standing  before  a  picture  of 
Electress  Louisa  Henrietta  in  the  gallery  at  Char- 
lottenburg,  and  she  said :  "The  charming  hymn  has 
received  citizenship  in  our  Church  and  in  all  our 
families."  And  then,  after  being  silent  for  a  while, 
she  sat  herself  down  at  the  piano  and  sang  it. 

On  the  terrible  night  of  March  18  and  19,  1848, 
when  the  German  throne  trembled  in  the  throes  of 
the  Revolution,  in  the  midst  of  the  firing  of  guns  and 
the  thunder  of  artillery,  over  the  wild  tumult  of  the 
insurrection,  the  bells  in  the  church  tower  at  Pots- 
dam played  "Jesus,  meine  Zuversicht."  It  was  a  voice 
of  comfort  to  many  anxious  hearts.  And  a  few 
days  later  it  again  sounded  forth  from  the  castle,  as 
187  coffins  of  the  fallen  were  escorted  to  their  graves 
by  20,000  citizens.  In  the  war  of  1870  this  hymn 
was  a  source  of  great  comfort  in  the  German  army. 
The  music  books  of  many  bands  contained  only  two 
sacred  tunes.  One  was  "Nun  danket  alle  Gotf' 
(Now  thank  we  all  our  God),  and  this  Iiymn. 
When  Frederick  William  IV.  of  Prussia  gave  a 


228  IVoinen  of  the  Re  fori  lie  d  Church. 

bell  at  the  200th  anniversary  of  the  founding  of  the 
orphanage  at  Oranienburg  by  the  Electress  Louisa 
Henrietta,  he  named  the  bell  ''J^sus,  meine  Zuver- 
sicht."  And  it  had  as  its  inscription  the  first  two 
lines  of  the  hymn.  At  the  consecration  of  the  bell 
the  first  verse  of  her  hymn  was  sung. 

Many  other  illustrations  of  the  power  and  influ- 
ence of  this  hymn  might  be  given,  to  show  how  dear 
and  sacred  it  has  become  to  the  German  heart.  When 
Ziegenbalg,  the  first  of  the  German  missionaries  to 
go  to  the  East  Indies,  lay  dying,  he  called  his  friends 
to  him,  and  in  that  distant  land,  as  they  stood  around 
his  bed,  he  asked  them  to  sing  "Jesus,  meine  Zuver- 
sicht.^'  As  they  sang  it,  it  gave  him  a  look  beyond 
the  grave  into  heaven,  and  he  said,  ''There  is  a  light 
before  my  eyes  as  if  the  sun  shone  into  my  face." 
His  spirit  rose  to  heaven  on  the  wings  of  that  hymn. 
It  is  one  of  the  great  funeral  hymns  of  the  Ger 
man  language. 

We  will  now  look  at  her  life  more  in  detail.  No 
wonder  she  could  write  such  a  hymn.  Her  pious  life 
gave  the  inspiration  for  it.  We  left  her  at  Tanger- 
munde  on  her  way  to  Berlin.  After  a  month's  rest 
she  continued  her  journey  with  her  husband  until 
they  arrived  at  Berlin,  April  10,  1650.  Here  she 
was  received  with  great  joy  by  the  people.     But 


Electress  Louisa  Henrietta.  229 

Berlin,  through  the  ravages  of  the  Thirty  Years' 
War,  was  a  comparatively  poor  city  of  a  few  thou- 
sand inhabitants.  Nevertheless  her  husband  deter- 
mined to  make  her  comfortable.  So  he  fitted  up 
ap:irtments  in  the  palace  on  the  side  toward  the  river 
in  liciland  style;  and  also  beautified  the  park  before 
the  palace  with  trees  and  flowers,  even  placing  there, 
for  her  sake,  some  onion  plants,  so  popular  in  Hol- 
land. 

But  she  was  not  fond  of  the  pomp  of  court  life. 
Her  tastes  were  simple,  and  her  heart  full  of  love  to 
Christ.  She  preferred  a  quieter  home,  where  she 
could  meditate  on  her  God.  It  happened,  that  while 
out  hunting  with  her  husband,  she  expressed  her- 
self as  delighted  with  the  location  of  an  old  hunting 
castle  north  of  Berlin.  Her  kind  husband,  ever 
ready  to  satisfy  her  slightest  wish,  presented  it  to 
her,  together  with  the  neighboring  district.  He  be- 
gan building  a  castle  there,  which  was  finished  in 
1652.  She  then  made  this  her  home,  and  when  she 
moved  there,  she  gave  it  the  name  of  Oranienburg 
(Orange-castle),  naming  it  after  her  family,  the 
family  of  Orange-Nassau.  Here,  separated  from 
the  world,  she  could  live  a  quiet  and  religious  life. 
This  is  the  place  which  is  associated  especially  with 


230  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

her  life  and  works.  She  labored  to  make  the  district 
around  the  castle  as  productive  as  possible.  She  im- 
ported skilled  gardeners  from  Holland,  and  founded 
quite  a  Dutch  colony  there.  Among  other  things 
she  introduced  the  cultivation  of  the  potato  from 
Holland,  (this  proved  to  be  a  great  boon  to  the 
Germans,  who  had  become  so  poor  through  the  de- 
vastations of  the  Thirty  Years'  War),  and  soon  the 
cultivation  of  the  potato  became  universal.  She  was 
always  doing  good.  She  did  not  allow  a  single  day 
to  pass  without  doing  some  act  of  kindness  to  her 
people.  The  primary  schools,  which  had  been  swept 
away  by  the  war,  she  refounded.  As  a  result  she 
became  a  great  favorite  among  the  people.  Many 
of  the  girls  were  named  after  her.  As  late  as  half 
a  century  ago,  her  name  was  a  favorite  one,  and  hei 
portrait  was  still  to  be  found  on  the  walls  of  many 
farmers'  houses.  The  following  story  of  her  kind- 
ness is  told :  On  one  occasion  a  servant  stole  some- 
thing while  she  was  at  church.  How  did  she  pun- 
ish him  for  his  crime?  She  returned  good  for  evil. 
When  she  learned  of  the  theft,  she  gave  him  a  good- 
ly number  of  ducats  and  told  him  to  get  away  as 
quickly  as  possible  before  her  husband  found  it  out. 
When  her  husband  came  and  heard  of  the  theft,  he 


Electress  Louisa  Henrietta.  231 

was  very  angry  and  said  he  would  have  hung  the 
thief.  To  this  she  responded,  "Even  if  all  my  gold 
and  jewels  were  stolen,  yet,  if  I  had  my  way,  not  a 
drop  of  blood  would  be  shed  for  it." 

In  this  rural  palace  she  lived  in  religious  quiet- 
ness. She  was  very  diligent  in  her  devotions.  Much 
of  her  time  was  taken  up  in  singing,  reading  of  the 
Scriptures,  and  other  religious  exercises.  She  was 
always  at  church  service.  And  it  is  said  she  made  it 
a  rule,  never  to  look  into  a  mirror  before  going  to 
church,  lest  pride  and  fashion  would  disturb  her 
thoughts.  Her  court  preacHer,  Stosch,  held  many 
religious  services  in  her  palace.  He  was  always  wel- 
come, and  when  he  arrived  he  did  not  have  to  ob- 
serve the  usual  rules  of  court  etiquette  and  have 
himself  announced,  but  could  at  once  go  to  her 
apartments,  as  she  was  always  glad  to  see  him.  Of- 
ten she  conversed  Vvith  him  on  religious  topics  for 
three  hours  at  a  time.  He  bore  a  high  testimony  to 
her  religious  character.  He  said,  "I  have  spent 
many  hundred  hours  with  her  in  private  audience, 
talking  to  her  about  spiritual  things."  Indeed  hei 
room  was  more  like  a  temple  than  a  palace,  for  noth- 
ing that  was  not  religious  was  allowed  there.  She 
always  had  morning  and  evening  prayers. 


232  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

Her  health,  however,  was  not  good  since  the  death 
of  her  first  chiM.  This  was  aggravated  by  anxiety 
for  the  future  of  her  house.  She  feared  lest  if  she 
had  no  heir,  the  house  of  Brandenburg  would  be- 
come Catholic,  and  terrible  v/ars  would  result.  This 
so  preyed  on  her  mind,  that  she  finally  went  to  her 
husband  and  suggested  a  divorce,  an  act  which  re- 
veals her  wonderfully  self-denying  character,  for 
she  was  willing  to  sacrifice  herself  for  the  good  of 
her  land.  But  her  noble  husband  refused,  and  a 
few  years  later  God,  in  answer  to  her  prayers,  as  to 
Hannah's,  gave  her  a  son.  This  son  was  born  on  a 
Tuesday,  and  ever  after  every  Tuesday  became  a 
sacred  day,  for  she  spent  it  in  fasting,  prayer  and 
thanksgiving,  in  commemoration  of  the  event.  In 
1665  she  opened  an  orphanage  at  Oranienburg,  as  a 
thank-offering  for  the  gift  of  a  son. 

During  the  wars  that  followed,  she  was  her  hus- 
band's firm  support  and  adviser.  In  spite  of  the 
rough  roads  and  the  dangers  of  the  war,  she  went 
with  him  on  his  journeys.  Thus  during  the  Swed- 
ish war,  when  he  had  to  go  to  Konigsberg,  she 
bravely  went  along,  although  the  roads  were  in  such 
a  frightful  condition  that  they  could  travel  only 
eight  miles  in  two  days.     The  Swedes  then  forced 


Electress  Louisa  Henrietta.  233 

the  Elector  to  join  them  in  war  against  Poland.  The 
Poles,  therefore,  came  and  ravaged  Brandenburg  so 
fearfully,  that  no  less  than  31  towns  were  burned 
and  30,000  inhabitants  murdered.  These  terrible 
events  preyed  on  her  mind,  so  that  she  could  not 
sleep,  and  she  suffered  much  from  terrible  dreams. 
During  the  war  she  cared  for  the  spiritual  condition 
of  the  soldiers,  and  ordered  that  a  New  Testament 
and  Psalms  be  given  to  every  soldier.  When  war 
with  Sweden  came  again,  she  followed  her  husband 
into  Pomerania,  going  with  him  even  to  the  upper 
end  of  Jutland.  She  then  went  on  a  visit  to  western 
Germany,  where  she  contracted  a  cold  which  pro- 
duced a  severe  cough.  She  then  went  to  her  native 
land  of  Holland  and  felt  better,  but,  although  the 
weather  was  cold,  she  never  gave  up  attending 
church.  As  she  came  out  of  church  on  March  14, 
she  said  to  her  lady  in  waiting,  that  she  feared  she 
might  never  live  to  get  back  to  Berlin. 

Finally  after  Easter  she  started  for  Berlin,  be- 
cause she  wanted  to  see  her  husband  and  his  children 
once  more  before  she  died.  The  journey  was  a  long 
and  rough  one.  She  became  weaker  on  the  way. 
When  she  arrived  at  Hamm  in  Westphalia,  she 
thought  she  would  die,  but  prayed  God  most  ear- 


234  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

nestly  to  spare  her  life  that  she  might  see  her  hus- 
band again  at  BerHn,  and  then  she  would  say,  ''Now, 
Lord,  lettest  thou  thy  handmaiden  depart  in  peace." 
Her  prayer  was  granted.  Her  husband  came  to 
meet  her  as  far  as  Halberstadt.  The  rest  of  the 
journey  she  had  to  make  in  a  sedan  chair.  She  was, 
however,  greatly  comforted  all  through  the  journey 
by  the  presence  of  Spanheim,  one  of  the  most  re- 
nowned Reformed  theologians  of  that  time.  He 
said  of  her,  ''Her  patience  is  an  example  for  us.  Job 
and  Jonah  murmured;  David  cried  out,  'How  long, 
O  Lord,  how  long,'  but  she  never  complained  be- 
cause of  her  weakness.  She  only  complained  that 
she  gave  so  much  trouble  to  others."  One  day  he 
preached  to  her  on  the  words,  "God  with  us."  She 
beautifully  applied  them  to  her  own  case.  "  'God 
with  us,'  what  a  comfort  in  the  sorrows  of  solitude, 
in  dangerous  waters,  in  the  house  of  sorrow."  At 
last  she  arrived  at  Berlin.  Prayers  were  offered  up 
in  all  the  churches  of  the  land  for  her  recovery.  But 
in  spite  of  all  the  prayers  for  her  dear  life,  her  weak- 
ness became  greater  and  greater.  The  Elector  of- 
ten watched  beside  her  and  comforted  her  by  repeat- 
ing Scripture  texts.  Not  long  before  her  death  her 
chaplain  asked  her  if  she  felt  that  God  was  gracious. 


Electress  Louisa  Henrietta.  235 

She  answered,  "Yes/"  That  testimony  was  her  last 
word,  for  she  died  soon  after,  on  June  28,  1667.  The 
whole  land  mourned  her  departure.  Stosch  preach- 
ed her  funeral  sermon  on  Job  13:15,  ''Though  He 
slay  me,  yet  will  I  trust  Him."  She  was  greatly 
missed  by  the  nation,  but  by  none  so  much  as  by  her 
husband,  the  Elector.  For  she  had  inherited  the 
wisdom  of  a  statesman  from  her  ancestors,  Coligny 
and  William  of  Orange,  and  often  had  given  him  the 
best  of  advice  in  his  political  movements.  After  her 
death  he  was  often  found  standing  before  her  pic- 
ture and  crying  out,  ''O  Louisa,  Louisa,  if  you  were 
only  with  me  with  your  counsels."  Few  princesses 
w^ere  so  loved  as  she.  Her  memory  still  remains 
green  among  the  German  people.  Nearly  two  hun- 
dred years  after  her  death,  the  town  of  Oranienburg 
erected  a  monument  to  her.  It  is  a  life-size  statue, 
standing  on  a  granite  pedestal  nine  feet  high.  Her 
head  is  adorned  with  a  diamond.  In  her  right  hand 
is  a  roll — the  manuscript  of  the  founding  of  the  or- 
phanage there.  Her  earthly  beauty  and  her  heaven- 
ly piety  made  her  one  of  the  saints  of  the  Reformed 
Church.  Like  Abel,  she  being  dead,  yet  speaketh, 
for  she  has  gained  an  earthly  immortality  through 
her  hymn,  as  well  as  a  heavenly  immortality  with 
her  Savior. 


Chapter   IL— WOMEN    OF   OTHER   LANDS. 

I. 

COUNTESS  SUSAN   RAKOCZY  OF   HUNGARY. 

HE  circle  of  Reformed  princesses  extended 
even  to  Hungary.  The  Hungarian  Re~ 
formed  Church  was  a  martvr  church  and 


to-day  is  a  strong  denomination,  containing  over  two 
milHon  of  adherents.  The  men  and  women  who  laid 
the  foundations  of  that  church  in  the  i6th  and  lyth 
centuries  were  staunch  Reformed,  brave  men  and 
w  omen,  who  feared  not  persecutions  and  loved  their 
faith  with  all  the  intensity  peculiar  to  the  Magyar 
blood.* 

Susan  Lorantfy  was  born  in  1600  at  Saros-Patak, 
in  Upper  Hungary.  Her  father  was  descended  from 
a  noble  Reformed  family,  and  was  possessed  of  large 
means.  While  he  rejoiced  at  the  birth  of  a  daugh- 
ter, he  yet  mourned  that  she  was  not  a  son,  as  he 
feared  his  line  would  die  out  and  great  complica- 
tions arise  through  the  Catholics.     He  confided  his 


*  We  are  indebted  for  a  sketch  of  this  noble  princess  to  a 
suggestion  made  by  Rev.  Prof.  Balogh,  of  the  Reformed 
Theological  Seminary,  of  Debreczin,  Hungary.  At  his  re- 
quest a  sketch  of  her  Hfe  was  prepared  by  Rev.  Stephen 
Verness,  of  Hungary,  from  which  we  gather  our  chapter 
on  her  Hfe. 


238  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

fears  to  the  Reformed  minister,  who  comforted  him 
by  saying  that  the  best  thing  to  do  was  to  be  sub- 
missive to  God,  accepting  each  gift  from  Him  with 
great  thankfulness.  She  had  no  joyous  childhood, 
for  her  mother  was  not  in  good  health  and  in  giving 
birth  to  the  next  child,  a  daughter  also,  she  died. 
Susan  seldom  saw  her  father,  as  he  was  busy  with 
his  widely-scattered  worldly  affairs  and  often  ab- 
sent from  the  home.  There  came  over  her  a  sad- 
ness, even  a  gloominess  of  disposition.  Often  she 
sat  at  the  window,  permitting  her  eyes  to  rove  over 
room  and  garden,  but  nowhere  finding  the  face  of 
her  dear  mother,  for  whom  she  so  greatly  longed. 
These  recollections  made  her  mother  seem  to  her  as 
a  guardian  angel.  Her  only  comfort  was  to  cast  her 
grief  and  loneliness  on  God  in  prayer  or  to  divert 
herself  from  them  by  diligence  in  household  arts,  as 
spinning   and    sewing. 

Her  father  then  was  married  again  to  the  bright 
and  well-educated  Catharine  Andrassy,  who  cared 
for  his  children  as  if  they  were  her  own.  Susan's 
training  was  mainly  in  the  Word  of  God  under  the 
direction  of  the  professors  of  the  university  at 
Saros-Patak.  Thus  the  days  of  her  childhood  passed 
away  until  at  the  age  of  fifteen  she  lost  also  her  father 


Countess  Susan  Rakoczy  of  Hungary.      239 

by  death,  and  soon  after  her  step-mother,  too,  who 
left  a  little  daughter,  Catharine,  behind  her :  so  that, 
young  girl  that  she  was,  she  had  to  be  a  mother  to 
both  her  sister  and  her  step-sister.  These  responsi- 
bilities deepened  her  nature  and  strengthened  her 
faith.  Much  of  her  time  was  spent  in  study  or  in 
caring  for  the  sick.  The  Reformed  chaplain  recom- 
mended to  her  support  poor  students  at  the  College 
at  Saros-Patak,  to  whom  she  gave  generous  support. 
Then  Prince  George  Rakoczy  sued  for  her  hand 
and  they  were  married,  April  18,  161 6,  and  two 
years  later  his  brother,  Sigismund,  married  her  sis- 
ter, Maria.  As  the  Rakoczy  family  was  also  strong- 
ly attached  to  the  Reformed  faith  her  home  was  very 
happy.  But  in  1619  trials  began  to  come.  Gabriel 
Bethlen,  a  noble  of  Transylvania,  entered  the 
Thirty  Years'  War  and  brought  his  army  in  the 
summer  to  Hungary.  He  reckoned  on  the  help  of 
young  Rakoczy  and  was  not  disappointed,  for 
George  joined  his  forces.  Susan,  though  she  dread- 
ed his  absence,  gave  him  the  brave  words,  "Go,  and 
God  be  with  you.  Go,  and  fight  for  your  God,  re- 
ligion and  Fatherland."  The  unfortunate  war  soon 
compelled  him  to  return  and  peace  followed.  She 
then    devoted  herself  to  the  training  of  her   four 


240  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

children,  who  attended  the  college  for  their  educa- 
tion. This  college  was  her  greatest  care,  for  she  re- 
cognized that  education  was  necessary  to  lay  per- 
manent foundations  for  piety.  How  beautiful  it  is, 
for  woman  to  be  the  patroness  of  learning.  She  saw 
to  it  that  the  best  teachers  were  found  for  this  insti- 
tution and  to  this  end  she  called  Amos  Comenius, 
the  famous  teacher,  who  undertook  the  thorough  or- 
ganization of  the  college.  He  remained  there  four 
years,  at  a  yearly  salary  of  6,000  gulden  (2,400  dol- 
lars), and  laid  the  foundations  of  the  future  for  that 
university.  She  and  her  husband  were  regular  at- 
tendants at  the  Reformed  service.  He  was  a  great 
student  of  the  Bible,  which  he  read  through  a  num- 
ber of  times.  When  any  great  discussions  took  place 
on  religious  subjects  by  the  pastors  of  Saros-Patak 
he  was  always  present  and  often  took  part  himself. 
Before  he  ever  went  on  a  journey,  he  always  had 
a  church  service,  and  when  he  returned  he  quickly 
sought  the  house  of  prayer  to  thank  God  for  his 
safe  return. 

In  1630,  as  Gabriel  Bethlen  had  died  and  left  no 
male  heir,  George  Rakoczy  was  elected  by  Trans- 
lyvania  as  his  successor.  This  compelled  his  removal 
to  its  capital,  Gyulafehervar.  Here,  again,  Susan  be- 


Countess  Susan  Rakoczy  of  Hungary.      241 

came  the  patroness  of  the  college.  She  often  ex- 
pressed her  views  to  the  ministers  who  visited  her, 
and  was  led  to  publish  a  theological  work  on  "Moses 
and  the  Prophets."  This  caused  much  unpleasant- 
ness. That  a  woman  should  appear  publicly  in  a 
theological  work  caused  no  little  sensation.  The 
Catholics  sharply  criticized  it.  And  her  husband 
was  so  angered  that  the  Jesuit  who  did  so  barely  es- 
caped his  wrath.  Their  sons,  in  the  meantime,  were 
educated  and  confirmed  in  the  Reformed  church 
at  the  capital,  at  which  time  they  produced  their 
personal  confessions  of  faith,  which  so  stirred  all 
that  tears  of  joy  were  shed. 

•  Countess  Susan  once  had  an  unpleasant  experi- 
ence as  the  result  of  her  benefactions.  It  had  been 
her  custom,  not  only  to  support  many  students  at  the 
university  of  Saros-Patak,  but  also  to  annually  give 
money  to  students  of  talent  that  they  might  prose- 
cute their  studies  in  foreign  lands.  But  the  young 
men  who  went  to  England  became  adherents  of  the 
Presbyterial  form  of  church  government.  And  they 
tried  on  their  return  to  introduce  it  into  their  own 
Reformed  church  in  Hungary,  which  had  superin- 
tendents called  bishops.  The  Countess,  although 
princes  generally  favored  bishops,  herself  favored 


242  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

the  Presbyterial  order.  This,  however,  brought  her 
into  conflict  with  prominent  ministers  of  her  own 
church,  who  favored  the  other  system.  Some  of  the 
adherents  of  the  Presbyterial  idea  were  driven  away 
and  she  herself  had  the  humiliation  of  being  held 
back  from  the  Lord's  Supper  by  the  church  which 
she  had  so  royally  supported.  But  she  forgave  all 
and  called  together  conferences,  which  finally  healed 
the  strife.  About  the  same  time  the  Catholics  began 
persecuting  the  Reformed  and  taking  away  their 
churches.  Count  Rakoczy  took  up  arms  for  them 
and  came  home  victorious,  having  gained  religious 
liberty  for  the  Reformed  of  Hungary,  after  having 
humiliated  the  Emperor  by  peace  and  freedom.  Her 
husband  died  some  time  after  the  war,  and  her  son 
George  came  to  the  throne.  Susan  then  returned 
from  Gyulafehervar,  the  capital  of  Transylvania,  to 
her  old  home  at  Saros-Patak,  where  she  spent  her 
last  years  in  caring  for  the  church  and  the  univer- 
sity. Here  her  second  son  and  his  wife  died,  while 
her  other  son  only  brought  political  trouble  on  her 
land,  and  finally  also  died.  Alone  she  was  left,  with 
only  God  to  help  and  comfort.  Death  came  to  her, 
April  1 8,  1 66 1,  as  she  awaited  it  with  joy  and  quiet- 
ness.    She  is  a  fine  illustration  of  what  women  of 


Countess  Susan  Rakoczy  of  Hungary.      243 

wealth  can  do  for  the  Lord  by  their  influence  and 
means.  She  will  ever  live  in  Hungarian  history  as 
the  patroness  of  the  Church  and  the  university,  and 
we  are  glad  to  tell  her  fame  and  her  goodness  to  oth- 
er nations  and  churches  who  knew  not  of  her. 


II. 

THE   WOMEN    OF   THE   TOWER   OF    CONSTANCE   IN 
FRANCE. 

^^AlHE  Huguenot  Church  has  been  famous  for 
*  its    martyrs,    but   among  them   none   are 

more   noble   than   the   women.      We   have 


given  a  brief  sketch  of  one  of  them  in  the  previous 
century,  PhiHppine  of  Luns.  There  is  one  place  that 
is  especially  associated  with  the  female  martyrs  of 
the  French  Reformed  Church.  It  is  the  tower  of 
Constance  at  Aigues-Mortes  in  southern  France,  not 
far  from  the  Mediterranean.  There,  it  is  true,  they 
did  not  die,  but  they  suffered  worse, — theirs  was  a 
living  death  as  they  were  imprisoned  for  life.  The 
tower  consisted  of  two  large  circular  apartments, 
one  above  the  other.  The  lower  one  received  light 
only  from  the  other,  through  a  round  hole  about  six 
feet  in  diameter.  The  upper  is  pierced  by  a  similar 
aperture  in  the  center  of  a  vaulted  ceiling,  beneath 
the  terrace  that  covers  the  tower.  By  these  aper- 
tures alone  can  smoke  escape,  or  the  fresh  air  enter, 
and  with  the  air  cold,  rain  and  wind. 

When  the  Revocation  of  the  Edict  of  Nantes  in 
1585  made  it  unlawful  for  the  Reformed  to  worship 

245 


246  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

In  France,  the  galleys  on  the  Mediterranean  became 
the  prison  for  the  ministers  and  the  men,  and  this 
tower,  for  the  women.  It  was  well-named  the  Tow- 
er of  Constance  or  of  constancy,  for  they  remained 
firm  and  constant  to  their  Reformed  faith  in  spite 
of  their  sufferings.  Their  only  crime  had  been  that 
they  had  attended  a  Reformed  service  in  the  woods 
or  in  caves,  or  had  sent  their  children  there.  And 
yet  for  this  they  were  virtually  entombed  alive.  In 
it  they  were  continually  solicited  to  give  up  their 
faith.  Priests  and  laymen,  foreigners  and  French- 
men urged  them  to  kiss  the  crucifix  so  as  to  become 
free.  But  no,  they  would  not.  Twenty-five  women 
were  confined  there,  according  to  the  list  given  by 
Marie  Durand  in  1754.  One  of  them,  Marie  Ber- 
and,  was  blind,  but  in  spite  of  her  blindness  she  was 
seized,  by  order  of  the  king,  torn  from  her  home  and 
conveyed  to  the  tower  where  she  died,  aged  80  years. 
Another,  Marie  Rey,  had  been  separated  from  her 
children  because  she  had  taken  part  in  a  Reformed 
service.  She  was  detained  a  prisoner  since  1737.  A 
third,  Marie  Neviliard,  was  separated  from  her  chil- 
dren because  she  had  been  married  by  a  Reformed 
minister,  which  was  illegal,  according  to  the  law. 
The  following  story  is  told  of  a  fourth.    At  the  end 


The  Women  of  the  Tozver  of  Constance.    247 

of  March,  1735,  in  the  plain  of  Bruzac,  a  Protestant 
service  was  being  held  for  the  celebration  of  the 
Lord's  Supper.  Suddenly  the  congregation  was 
broken  into  by  soldiers  and  all  who  were  not  able 
to  escape  were  arrested,  among  them  a  young  couple, 
Francis  Fiale  and  his  wife,  Isabeau  Menet.  He 
was  condemned  to  the  galleys  either  at  Marseilles  or 
Toulon,  where  he  died  in  1743.  His  wife  was  cast 
into  the  tower  of  Constance,  where  she  gave  birth  to 
a  child,  which  was  taken  away  from  her  to  be  reared 
a  Catholic.  Her  letters  tell  the  sad  story  of  the  suf- 
ferings of  the  long  captivity,  of  the  sorrow  of  sep- 
aration from  her  child,  and  of  the  death  of  her  hus- 
band. Though  sad,  they  are  full  of  hope  and  piety. 
Nowhere  do  they  breathe  any  trace  of  anger  against 
her  persecutors. 

But  the  most  interesting  and  best-known  of  the 
captives  was  Marie  Durand.  She  entered  the  prison 
a  young  girl  of  15;  she  left  it  an  old  woman,  aged 
53,  white  with  gray  hairs.  Her  story  was  that  as 
the  French  officers  had  not  been  able  to  catch  her 
brother,  one  of  the  most  zealous  of  the  French  Re- 
formed ministers,  who  secretly  held  services,  they 
took  her  aged  father  in  his  place,  and  imprisoned 
him  until  he  died.    And  then  the  French  command- 


248  IV omen  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

ant  determined  to  try  it  on  his  daughter,  only  fifteen 
years  of  age.  She  was  to  be  imprisoned  for  her 
brother's  activity.  As  she  was  superior  in  educa- 
tion to  most  of  the  women  in  the  tower  (who  be- 
longed to  the  artisan  class),  she  soon  gained  the  con- 
fidence of  the  sad  colony  and  became  their  interpre- 
ter and  correspondent.  She  corresponded,  especial- 
ly in  the  later  years,  when  the  surveillance  was  less 
strict,  with  Paul  Rabaut,  the  famous  French  preach- 
er of  the  Desert,  and  others.  We  once  heard  Rev. 
Mr.  Bersier,  of  Paris,  tell  the  story  that  he  had  a 
glove-psalter, — that  is  a  hymn-book  such  as  the 
French  ladies  could  hide  in  their  gloves.  "This 
glove-psalter,"  he  said,  "I  can  never  touch  without 
emotion,  for  it  belonged  to  a  girl  who  was  arrested 
at  the  age  of  fifteen  for  having  gone  to  worship  in 
the  mountains,  and  who  was  shut  up  in  the  famous 
tower  of  Constance,  where  she  remained  forty  years : 
and  where  one  winter's  night  she  had  her  foot  half- 
eaten  by  a  rat.  There,  on  those  pages,  you  can 
clearly  see  the  traces  of  her  tears,  chiefly  on  some 
of  the  Psalms,  such  as  the  42d,  where  David  says 
he  will  once  more  go  to  the  tabernacle  of  the  Lord 
and  sing  his  praises  in  the  great  congregation." 
In  1764  the  register  of  Aigues-Mortes  announced 


The  Women  of  the  Tozver  of  Constance.    249 

to  them   that  the  Jesuits  had  been   driven  out  of 
France   and  that   rehgious   Hberty   was   granted   in 
France,     but     that     they     would     be     retained     in 
prison    until    their    death,    because    most    of    them 
were    aged    and  infirm,    and    as    it    was    not    pos- 
sible   to    return    their    confiscated    property.      At 
this    they    were    plunged    in    the    greatest    conster- 
nation,   so    that    they    all    became    sick.      In    their 
agony  they  charged  Marie  Durant  to  write  to  Paul 
Rabaut,  who  appealed  to  the  various  members  of  the 
nobility  to  aid  them.    It  was  the  prince  of  Beauveau 
who  was  mainly  instrumental  in  gaining  their  free- 
dom.    While  near  the  tower  on  business  he  deter- 
mined to  visit  it.     He  says  they  were  conducted  up 
an   obscure   and   winding   stairs   to   a   large   round 
room  deprived  of  air  or  of  the  light  of  day.  There 
they  found  fourteen  women  languishing  in  misery. 
As  he  looked  at  them  he  could  not  control  his  feel- 
ings.   They  fell  at  his  feet,  overpowered  with  weep- 
ing, so  that  they  could  not  at  first  speak,  and  when 
speech  came,  they  all  together  recounted  their  com- 
mon sufferings.     He  was  interested  by  the  story  of 
Gabrielle  Guinges,  who  had  given  two  sons  to  die  in 
the  French  w^ars,  yet  was  permitted  to  languish  in 
prison.     He  was  touched  by  the  miserable  appear- 


250  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

ance  of  Jeanne  Auguiere  and  Isabeau  Maumejan, 
who  were  eighty  years  of  age,  and  of  Isabeau  Anne 
Gaussaint,  of  Sommieres,  who  was  ninety  years,  and 
who  had  been  imprisoned  for  36  years. 

Overcome  by  a  noble  instinct  of  compassion,  he 
himself  broke  the  chains  of  their  sufferings  and  gave 
them  their  liberty.  For  this  he  was  threatened  with 
the  loss  of  his  office.  He  replied  in  fiery  words, 
"The  king  is  my  master  to  deprive  me  of  my  place, 
but  not  to  prohibit  me  from  fulfilling  my  duties  to 
my  conscience  and  my  honor.^^  The  prisoners  quitted 
their  sad  abode.  But  where  could  they  go?  Their 
property  had  been  confiscated.  Their  friends  were 
dead.  Marie  Durand  was  able  to  return  to  her  for- 
mer home,  now  in  ruins.  The  consistory  of  Amster- 
dam hearing  of  her  sufferings  and  poverty  gave  her 
a  life-pension  of  200  livres.  But  the  flower  of  their 
life  was  gone,  given  for  their  faith.  Yet  "the  blood 
of  the  martyrs  is  the  seed  of  the  Church.'^  Not  far 
from  the  tower  there  is  now  a  modest  Reformed 
chapel,  where  every  Sunday  the  Reformed  meet  to 
the  number  of  150.  This  church  (or  temple,  as  they 
call  Protestant  churches  in  France),  was  dedicated 
February  22,  1863. 

Let  this  tower  of  Constance  be  an  inspiration  to 


The  Women  of  the  Tower  of  Constance.    251 

the  women  of  our  Church  today,  that  they  may  be 
constant  in  their  faith.  There  is  no  persecution  now 
and  yet  there  is  what  is  worse,  a  worldliness  that  si- 
lently saps  all  piety.  O,  if  the  women  of  the  tower  of 
Constance  could  remain  true  to  their  faith  in  spite  of 
such  persecutions  for  so  many  years,  what  an  in- 
spiration it  ought  to  be  to  the  ladies  of  our  Church 
today  to  be  true  to  their  Reformed  churches.  May 
the  faithfulness  of  these  martyrs  prove  an  inspira- 
tion to  nobleness  and  firmness  of  character  in  all 
who  read  this  book. 


PART  III. 

Women  of  the  Eighteenth  and  Nine- 
teenth Centuries. 

Chapter  L— WOMEN  OF  SWITZERLAND. 
I. 

ANNA  LAVATER. 

\Jkr  HY  have  I  heard  so  little  of  the  noble  Anna 
^^      Lavater?^^  once  wrote  a  friend  of  her  hus- 
band.    "I  find  so  much  that  is  grand  and 


noble  in  this  excellent  woman,  which  I  can  find  only 
among  the  truly  godly."  Let  us  hear  more  about 
this  noble  life. 

Anna  Schinz,  for  such  was  her  maiden  name,  was 
born  July  8,  1742,  at  Zurich.  She  had  a  deeply  reli- 
gious mother,  and  she  early  revealed  a  very  pious 
disposition.  Once  a  companion,  whom  she  had  been 
forbidden  to  associate  with,  tempted  her  to  go  away 
with  her.  She  did  so;  but  when  she  came  back,  her 
flushed  countenance  betrayed  a  guilty  conscience. 
**My  child,"  said  the  mother,  "I  see  you  have  done 
something  wrong."  She  confessed  the  fault  with 
tears.  Then  her  wise  mother  said :  "Anna,  we  will 
not  talk  together;  come,  let  us  pray."  And  she  led 
her  to  a  room,  where  they  were  alone  with  God,  and 
there  they  prayed.    Happy  is  the  child  that  has  such 

253 


254  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

a  pious  mother  to  take  her  to  the  throne  of  grace. 
She  also  showed  great  kindness  of  heart.  A  female 
laborer,  well-known  to  the  family,  had  become  so 
disabled  that  she  came  into  great  want.  Little  Anna 
delighted  to  minister  to  her.  Whenever  she  would 
have  something  nice  to  eat,  she  would  lay  aside  a 
part  of  it  and  take  it  to  this  poor  invalid.  Often, 
rather  than  spend  an  hour  in  the  evening  in  the  com- 
pany of  her  companions,  she  would  go  to  this  aged 
friend.  And  as  she  did  not  want  to  go  empty-hand- 
ed, if  she  had  nothing  else,  she  would  take  her  own 
evening  meal  to  her  friend. 

She  was  also  very  fond  of  nature  and  also  of  her 
Bible.  In  the  palace  garden  she  used  to  have  a  fav- 
orite place  under  the  shadow  of  a  tree  beside  a 
waterfall,  where  there  was  a  wide  view;  for  in 
Thurgau  (whither  her  father  removed  soon  after 
her  birth)  there  is  fine  scenery.  There  she  loved  to 
take  out  her  New  Testament  and  read  and  pray.  One 
day  a  younger  brother  surprised  her  by  building  a 
little  house  there,  so  that  she  could  sit  in  it  when  the 
weather  was  unpleasant.  In  it  he  placed  a  table 
made  by  himself,  and  on  it  lay  her  Bible.  This  pray- 
er-place became  a  blessing  and  an  inspiration  to  her 
life.     Many  years  after,  when  old  and  gray,  a  lady 


Anna  Lavater.  255 

friend  brought  her  a  flower  plucked  from  it.  The 
little  flower  brought  tears  to  her  eyes,  as  she  re- 
membered what  that  sacred  place  had  done  for  her. 
Thus,  with  love  to  God,  nature  and  her  fellow-men, 
she  grew  up,  and  by  it  was  prepared  for  her  life- 
work  before  her. 

On  May  6,  1766,  Rev.  Casper  Lavater  sued  for 
her  hand.  A  few  years  before,  in  a  letter  to  a 
friend,  he  describes  the  kind  of  person  who  was  his 
ideal  of  a  wife :  ''She  must  have  a  good  heart,  for 
of  the  most  importance  is  her  moral  character.  She 
must,  therefore,  be  mild,  quiet  and  modest.  She 
need  not  be  beautiful,  if  she  is  only  pleasant,  health- 
ful, neat  and  gentle.  She  must  understand  well  do- 
mestic management,  although  it  is  not  necessary  for 
her  to  be  learned — a  pedant  I  detest.  She  must  be 
teachable,  compliant  and  determined  to  assist  and 
not  to  hinder  me  in  my  official  duties.  She  must 
aid  me  in  my  labors  in  visiting  the  sick."  We  pre- 
sume he  found  these  qualifications  in  Anna  Schinz, 
whom  he  married  June  3,  1766.  She  thus  became 
the  wife  of  the  most  brilliant  of  the  young  ministers 
of  Zurich,  and  one  of  the  most  famous  men  of  his 
time.  Her  married  life  was  very  happy,  although 
clouded  at  times  by  the  death  of  children. 


256  IVoinen  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

In  April,  1769,  her  husband  was  made  assistant 
pastor  of  the  Orphans  Home  church  at  Zurich.  This 
position  imposed  on  him  the  duty,  in  addition  to  his 
other  pastoral  labors,  of  caring  for  the  orphan  chil- 
dren and  for  the  convicts  in  the  prison.  In  these 
spheres  he  found  in  his  wife  a  zealous  help-meet.  It 
happened,  too,  that  the  next  two  years  were  years 
of  famine.  Great  was  the  suffering  of  the  hungry 
people,  as  they  surged  through  the  streets  in  crowds. 
Her  house  became  a  place  for  the  distribution  of 
alms  to  the  poor.  Here  she  again  revealed  her  great 
kindness  of  heart.  She  always  kept  a  kettle  of  warm 
soup  on  the  fire  to  be  given  to  the  poor.  One  day 
the  door-bell  rang,  and  she  saw  through  the  window 
a  poor  man,  hardly  able  to  stand.  She  hurried  to 
him,  but  he  had  already  fallen  to  the  ground,  be- 
fore she  came  to  him.  She  helped  him  to  a  chair 
and  gave  him  warm  soup.  But  seeing  his  great 
weakness,  she  hastened  into  the  house  for  a  glass  of 
wine,  when  suddenly  he  died  from  the  weakness 
caused  by  the  starvation.  On  another  occasion  she 
started  out  on  a  walk  with  her  husband.  They  had 
gone  but  a  very  short  distance,  when  they  found  a 
poor  woman  sitting  on  the  ground,  trying  to  quiet 
her  little  babe.    When  asked  what  was  the  matter, 


Anna  Lavatcr.  2^7 

she  replied,  with  tears  in  her  eyes,  that  she  had  only 
one  request  to  make,  and  that  was  that  God  would 
soon  release  herself  and  her  child  from  their  hunger, 
by  letting  them  die.  For  she  had  had  nothing  to 
eat,  and  so  could  not  give  her  child  anything.  Of 
course  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lavater's  walk  was  at  an  end. 
They  took  the  woman  and  the  child  home  with 
them,  and  after  giving  her  food,  had  her  name  enter- 
ed on  the  poor  list,  so  that  she  received  money  week- 
ly out  of  the  charity  fund. 

It  was  the  usual  practice  of  Mr.  Lavater  to  read 
every  morning  several  chapters  in  the  Bible,  and  to 
select  from  them  one  particular  passage  for  frequent 
and  special  meditation  during  the  day.     One  morn- 
ing, after  reading  the  fifth  and  sixth  chapters  of  St. 
Alatthew,  he  exclaimed,  ''What  a  treasure  of  moral- 
ity !    How  difficult  to  make  choice  of  any  portion  of 
It  V'    After  a  few  minutes^  consideration,  he  threw 
himself  on  his  knees  and  prayed  for  divine  guidance. 
When  he  joined  his  wife  at  dinner  she  asked  him 
what  passage  of  Scripture  he  had  chosen  for  the  day. 
"Give  to  him  that  asketh  thee,  and  from  him  that 
would  borrow  of  thee  turn  not  thou  away,"  was  the 
reply. 

"And  how  is  this  to  be  understood?" 


258  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

"  'Give  to  him  that  asketh  thee,  and  from  him  that 
would  borrow  of  thee  turn  thou  not  away/  are  the 
words  of  Him,"  rejoined  Mr.  Lavater,  "to  whom  all 
and  everything  belongs  that  I  possess.  I  am  the 
steward,  not  the  proprietor.  The  proprietor  desires 
me  to  give  to  him  that  asks  me,  and  not  to  refuse 
him  who  would  borrow  of  me,  or,  in  other  words,  if 
I  have  two  coats,  I  must  give  to  him  who  has  none ; 
and  if  I  have  food,  I  must  share  with  him  who  is  an 
hungered  and  in  want.  This  I  must  do  without  be- 
ing asked;  how  much  more,  then,  should  I  do  so 
when  asked?" 

"This,"  continues  Mr.  Lavater  in  his  diary,  "ap- 
peared to  me  so  evidently  and  undoubtedly  to  be  the 
meaning  of  the  verses  in  question,  that  I  spoke  with 
more  than  usual  warmth.  My  wife  made  no  further 
reply  than  that  she  would  take  these  things  to  heart. 

"I  had  scarcely  left  the  dining-room  a  few  min- 
utes when  an  aged  widow  desired  to  speak  with  me, 
and  she  was  shown  into  my  study.  'Forgive  me, 
dear  sir,^  she  said ;  'excuse  the  liberty  I  am  about  to 
take.  I  am  truly  ashamed,  but  my  rent  is  due  to- 
morrow, and  I  am  short  of  six  dollars.  I  have  been 
confined  to  my  bed  by  sickness,  and  my  poor  child 
is  nearly  starving.    Every  penny  that  I  could  save  I 


Anna  Lavater.  259 

have  laid  aside  to  meet  this  demand,  but  six  dollars 
are  yet  wanting  and  tomorrow  is  term-day/ 

"Here  she  opened  a  parcel  which  she  held  in  her 
hand,  and  said :  'This  is  a  book  with  a  silver  clasp, 
which  my  late  husband  gave  me  the  day  we  were 
married.  It  is  all  I  can  spare  of  the  few  articles  I 
possess,  and  how  it  grieves  me  to  part  with  it !  I 
am  aware  that  it  is  not  enough,  nor  do  I  see  how  I 
could  ever  repay  you;  but,  dear  sir,  if  you  can,  do 
assist  me!^ 

"  *I  am  very  sorry,  my  good  woman,  that  I  cannot 
help  you,^  I  said;  and,  putting  my  hand  into  my 
pocket,  I  accidently  felt  my  purse,  which  contained 
about  two  dollars.  These,  I  said  to  myself,  can  not 
extricate  her  from  her  difficulty — she  requires  six; 
besides,  if  even  they  could,  I  have  need  of  this  money 
for  some  other  purpose.  Turning,  then,  to  the 
widow,  I  said :  'Have  you  no  friend,  no  relation  who 
could  give  you  this  trifle?' 

"  'No,  not  a  soul !  I  am  asaamed  to  go  from  house 
to  house.  I  would  rather  work  day  and  night.  My 
excuse  for  being  here  is  that  people  speak  so  much 
of  your  goodness.  If,  however,  you  can  not  assist 
me,  you  will  at  least  forgive  my  intrusion,  and  God, 


26o  Women  of  the  Reformed  Churcli. 

who  has  never  yet  forsaken  me,  will  not  surely  turn 
away  from  me  in  my  sixty-sixth  year/ 

"At  this  moment  the  door  of  my  apartment  open- 
ed, and  my  wife  entered.  I  was  ashamed  and  vexed, 
and  gladly  would  I  have  sent  her  away,  for  consci- 
ence whispered,  'Give  to  him  that  asketh  thee,  and 
from  him  that  would  borrow  of  thee  turn  not  thou 
away/  She  came  up  to  me  and  said  with  much 
sweetness,  'This  is  a  good  old  woman;  she  has  cer- 
tainly been  ill  of  late ;  assist  her  if  you  can/ 

''Shame  and  compassion  struggled  in  my  dark- 
ened soul.  '1  have  but  two  dollars,'  I  said  in  a  whis- 
per, 'and  she  requires  six.  I  will  give  her  a  trifle  and 
let  her  go.' 

"Laying  her  hand  on  my  arm,  and  smilingly  look- 
ing into  my  face,  my  wife  said  aloud  what  consci- 
ence whispered  before,  'Give  to  him  that  asketh  thee, 
and  from  him  that  would  borrow  of  thee  turn  not 
thou  away.' 

"I  blushed  and  replied  with  some  little  vexation, 
'Would  you  give  your  ring  for  that  purpose?' 

"  'With  pleasure,'  answered  my  wife,  pulling  off 
her  ring. 

"The  good  old  woman  was  either  too  simple  or  too 
modest  to  notice  what  was  going  on,  and  was  pre- 


Anna  Lavater.  261 

paring  to  retire,  when  my  wife  called  to  her  to  wait 
in  the  hall.  When  we  were  left  alone  I  asked  my 
wife,  'Are  you  in  earnest  about  the  ring?" 

''  'Certainly,  how  can  you  doubt  it?'  she  said.  'Do 
you  think  I  would  trifle  with  charity?  Remember 
what  you  said  to  me  but  half  an  hour  ago!  O,  my 
dear,  let  us  not  make  a  show  of  the  gospel !  You  are 
in  general  so  kind,  so  sympathizing;  how  is  it  that 
you  find  it  so  difficult  to  assist  this  poor  woman? 
Why  did  you  not,  without  hesitation,  give  her  what 
you  had  in  your  pocket  ?  And  did  you  not  know  that 
there  were  yet  six  dollars  in  your  desk,  and  that 
your  quarters  salary  will  be  paid  to  us  in  less  than 
eight  days? 

"She  then  added,  with  much  feeling,  'Take  n.o 
thought  for  your  life,  what  ye  shall  eat,  or  what  ye 
shall  drink ;  nor  yet  for  your  body,  what  ye  shall  put 
on.  Behold  the  fowls  of  the  air :  they  sovr  not  neither 
do  they  reap,  nor  gather  into  barns;  yet  your  heav- 
enly Father  feedeth  them.' 

"I  kissed  my  wife,  while  tears  ran  down  my 
cheeks.  'Thanks,  a  thousand  thanks  for  this  humili- 
ation !  I  turned  to  the  desk,  took  from  it  the  six  dol- 
lars, and  opened  the  door  to  call  in  the  poor  widow. 
All  darkened  around  me  at  the  thought  that  I  had 


262  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

been  so  forgetful  of  the  omniscience  of  God  as  to 
say  to  her,  'I  cannot  help  you.'  O,  thou  false  tongue 
— thou  false  heart !  If  the  Lord  should  mark  iniqui- 
ties, O.  Lord,  who  shall  stand? 

"  TIere  is  what  you  need/  I  said,  addressing  the 
widow. 

"At  first  she  seemed  not  to  understand  what  I 
meant,  and  thought  I  was  off^ering  her  a  small  con- 
tribution, for  which  she  thanked  me,  and  pressed  my 
hand;  but,  when  she  perceived  that  I  had  given  her 
the  whole  sum,  she  could  scarcely  find  words  to  ex- 
press her  feelings.  She  cried,  'Dear  sir,  I  can  not  re- 
pay you ;  all  I  possess  is  this  book,  and  it  is  old.' 

"  'Keep  your  book,'  I  said,  and  the  money,  too, 
and  thank  God,  and  not  me,  for  verily  I  deserve  no 
thanks  after  having  so  long  resisted  your  entreaties. 
Go  in  peace,  and  forgive  an  erring  brother.' 

"I  returned  to  my  wife  with  downcast  looks,  but 
she  smiled,  and  said,  'Do  not  take  it  so  much  to 
heart,  my  dear;  you  yielded  at  my  first  suggestion. 
But  promise  me  that  so  long  'as  I  wear  a  gold  ring 
on  my  finger — and  you  know  that  I  possess  several 
besides — you  will  never  allow  yourself  to  say  to  any 
poor  person,  'I  cannot  help  you.'  She  then  kissed  me, 
and  left  the  apartment." 


Anna  Lavater.  263 

We  will  mention  but  one  remarkable  occurrence 
that  took  place  in  that  year,  and  which  proves,  at 
least,  how  fully  Mr.  Lavater  and  his  wife,  even  when 
they  were  widely  separated  from  each  other,  were 
united  to  each 'other  by  the  bond  of  devoted  Chris- 
tian love.  During  the  month  of  August  Mr.  La- 
vater visited  his  friend  Dr.  Holtze,  who  lived  in  the 
charming  town  of  Richterswyl,  on  Lake  Zurich. 
Shortly  after  his  arrival  he  wrote  to  his  wife  that  he 
was  enjoying  perfect  health.  On  the  following  day, 
however,  when  Mrs.  Lavater  was  sitting  alone  in  her 
husband's  room,  she  suddenly  became  so  overpow- 
ered by  anxiety  for  him  that  she  could  scarcely 
move.  Recovering  herself,  she  went  to  her  father- 
in-law  and  told  him  of  her  state  of  mind. 

The  affectionate  father  consoled  her  with  friendly 
and  cheering  words,  urging  her  that,  since  she  had 
good  news  from  her  husband  only  the  day  before, 
she  must  attach  no  importance  to  her  gloomy  feel- 
ings. As  long  as  her  venerable  father  was  urging 
her  to  cast  aside  her  fears,  she  felt  somewhat  cheer- 
ful, but  when  she  returned  to  Mr.  Lavater's  room 
again,  the  same  anxiety  took  possession  of  her  mind, 
and  she  fell  upon  her  knees,  weeping  and  praying. 

At  this  very  hour  Mr.  Lavater^s  life  was  in  a  very 


264  J V omen  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

perilous  situation.  He  had  left  Richterswyl,  and 
was  on  his  way  to  visit  a  friend  who  lived  on  the 
other  side  of  Lake  Zurich,  at  Oberried.  When  he 
went  into  the  little  boat,  which  was  to  convey  him 
to  the  place,  the  wind  and  water  were  very  calm. 
Gradually  a  fresh  wind  arose,  which  impelled  the 
boat  very  rapidly,  and  just  as  they  reached  the  most 
dangerous  point  of  the  lake,  the  wind  increased  to  a 
storm.  The  storm  grew  to  a  hurricane,  and  the 
waves  rolled  higher  and  higher,  every  moment 
threatening  to  overturn  the  boat.  The  boatmen,  who 
had  had  much  experience,  and  were  generally  fear- 
less, exclaimed,  with  despairing  voices,  ''We  shall  go 
down  !  Down  with  the  sails  !  Hold,  for  God's  sake ! 
Back  with  the  sail !  i\way !  Away  !  She  strikes ! 
We  are  lost !    We  are  gone  !"' 

The  mast  of  the  little  boat  was  entirely  shattered 
by  the  storm.  The  boatmen  then  exclaimed,  "We 
can  do  nothing  more !"'  Mr.  Lavater  was  upon  his 
knees  praying,  thinking  of  death,  of  his  wife  and 
children.  From  his  innermost  soul  he  prayed  God 
to  have  compassion  on  him  and  his  associates  in  dan- 
ger, and  deliver  them  from  this  fearful  storm.  At 
the  same  hour  his  wife  was  in  his  room  at  home, 
wrestling  and   praying   for   his   deliverance.      God 


Anna  Lavater.  265 

heard  and  answered  their  prayers.  One  can  imag- 
ine Mrs.  Lavater's  feelings  on  meeting  her  husband 
after  the  fearful  presentiment  she  had  of  his  death, 
and  the  tears  of  joy  she  shed  at  having  him  once 
more  restored  to  her  and  the  children.  She  united 
with  him,  from  the  depths  of  her  soul,  in  praising 
God  for  so  wonderfully  delivering  him.  So  was  the 
grief  of  an  hour,  through  the  mercy  of  God,  turned 
into  thankfulness  and  joy. 

Her  husband  became  to  her  a  constant  source  of 
anxiety. and  care.  He  had  never  been  strong,  hav- 
ing a  predisposition  to  consumption.  After  a  few 
years  of  severe  labor  at  the  Orphans  Home  church, 
his  health  broke  down,  and  he  went  to  Germany  to 
the  baths.  During  his  absence  she  had  to  bear  all 
the  cares  of  the  family  herself,  even  to  nursing  and 
burying  a  little  son  during  his  absence.  He  return- 
ed, and  in  1778  was  elected  to  one  of  the  most  promi- 
nent positions  in  the  canton,  namely,  pastor  of  the 
St.  Peter's  church,  at  Zurich.  As  this  parish  had 
more  than  5000  souls,  it  meant  more  work  for  him 
and  also  for  her.  Finally  came  the  most  trying  of  all 
experiences  to  her  as  a  faithful  wife.  The  ominous 
French  Revolution  broke  out.  And  when  the  French 
proceeded  to  occupy  Switzerland,  her  husband  was 


266  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

one  of  the  few  who  openly  attacked  them.  When 
the  Helvetic  Directory  oppressed  the  Swiss,  he  open- 
ly lifted  up  his  voice  in  their  defence.  He  wrote 
against  them  his  "Word  of  a  Free  Swiss  to  a  Great 
Nation."  And  he  preached  against  them  in  his  pul- 
pit, April  7,  1799. 

For  this  his  life  was  in  the  greatest  danger.  So 
when  he  and  his  wife  had  gone  to  the  baths  for  his 
health  (for  he  was  again  suffering  from  rheuma- 
tism) on  May  16,  at  six  A.  M.  there  was  a  rap  at  his 
door.  According  to  his  custom,  he  exclaimed,  "Come 
in!"  Although  the  sufferer  was  lying  in  bed,  three 
men  came  in  and  communicated  to  him  the  fact  that 
they  had  been  commissioned  by  the  Directory  of  the 
Helvetic  Republic  to  take  possession  of  all  his  pa- 
pers. Mr.  Lavater  quietly  answered,  "Now,  in  God's 
name,  take  what  you  find,  and  discharge  your  duty  !*' 
Thereupon  one  of  the  three  men,  the  Prefect  Tobler, 
showed  him  the  written  order  requiring  his  trans- 
portation immediately  to  Basle.  Mr.  Lavater  like- 
wise received  this  message  calmly,  with  undisturbed 
mien,  and  replied  quietly,  "1  have  nothing  to  say  to 
this  either.  I  will  put  up  with  whatever  you  do. 
However,  bear  in  mind  my  diseased  condition."  Mrs. 
Lavater,  who  could  not  endure  the  scene  quietly  any 


Anna  Lavater.  267 

longer,  then  said,  "\Vliat,  would  you  take  my  sick 
husband  away  from  the  very  place  where  he  has 
come  to  get  a  little  strength?  No,  I  don't  believe 
you  can.  I  can  not  let  him  go  away.  You  can  watch 
him  here  all  you  please,  for  he  will  not  attempt  to 
escape  from  you.  To  take  him  away,  in  his  present 
state,  would  be — I,  at  least,  can  not  submit  to  it." 

Mr.  Lavater  then  found  it  necessary,  first  of  all, 
to  calm  his  wife,  for  he  saw  that  she  was  greatly  ex- 
cited. He  then  said  to  her,  "Let  God's  will  be  done ! 
You  see  that  I  must  go  through  with  this.  Let  it 
be.  Be  quiet,  for  that  is  the  best  course.  You  are 
too  frail  to  endure  the  journey,  and  would  be  of  no 
service  to  me.  Return  at  once  from  Baden  to  Zu- 
rich. Be  assured  that  God  will  give  me  friends 
wherever  I  go.  He  will  do  everything  for  the  benefit 
of  my  health.  I  shall  want  nothing.  God  will  be  as 
near  to  me  in  Basle  as  in  Baden  or  in  Zurich.  Take 
courage,  and  submit  to  circumstances.  It  is  God's 
will,  as  you  very  well  see.  Though  you  are  certain 
of  my  innocence,  you  can  be  equally  assured  that 
God  will  not  forsake  me,  and  will  not  prevent  my  in- 
nocence from  being  proved  to  the  world.  Certainly, 
I  should  have  learned  very  little,  if  I  had  not  learned 
to  trust  God  fearlessly  and  in  a  child-like  way  under 


268  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

such  circumstances.  Good-bye,  we  shall  soon  meet 
again." 

After  having  said  this,  Mr.  Lavater  turned  to  the 
Prefect  again,  and  said  to  him,  "I  urge  upon  you  to 
think  if  I  am  really  ready  for  the  undertaking,  and 
whether  it  is  really  prudent  to  visit  upon  an  innocent 
and  sick  man,  and  upon  a  public  teacher,  in  this 
time  of  trouble,  such  measures  of  violence  as  you 
propose  to  inflict  upon  me.  And  as  far  as  I  am  con- 
cerned, I  am  perfectly  ready  to  obey  your  orders. 
But  I  assure  you,  further,  that  I  have  spent  half  of 
last  night  in  excruciating  pain,  and  that  I  have  only 
expected  relief  by  means  of  the  waters  of  this  place." 

The  Prefect  answered,  'T  believe  it  is  true  that 
you  preached  on  the  13th  of  May.  However,  can  you 
say  that  it  is  physically  impossible  for  you  to  leave 
the  bed?" 

Mr.  Lavater  replied,  *T  can  not  say  that  such  is 
the  fact,  for  I  came  from  Zurich  to  Baden  the  day 
before  yesterday,  though  with  great  difficulty;  but 
since  I  have  reached  here,  my  pain  has  increased." 

The  three  men  retired  from  the  room  for  a  mo- 
ment to  consult  together  as  to  what  was  best  to  be 
done.  They  soon  returned,  and  then  the  Prefect 
said,  'T  can  not  allow  you  to  remain  here;  I  must 
carry  out  my  orders." 


Anna  Lcwatcr.  26g 

*'Now,  in  God's  name/'  replied  Mr.  Lavater,  "let 
His  will  be  done !" 

The  officers  at  once  secured  the  sick  man's  papers, 
and  transported  him  to  Basle.  The  three  deputies 
were  not  even  kind-hearted  enough  to  leave  him  and 
his  wife  alone  for  a  moment,  and  her  earnest  entreat- 
ies to  be  permitted  to  accompany  her  husband  were 
inexorably  rejected.  They  were  treated  as  if  they 
were  both  heinous  offenders.  Mrs.  Lavater,  however, 
was  enabled  to  contribute  an  important  service  to 
her  husband  and  to  the  good  cause  which  he  loved. 
In  a  wardrobe  in  the  room  there  was  a  large  port- 
folio containing  loose  writing  and  important  letters 
of  friends.  Among  them  all  there  was  not  a  syllable 
which  a  pure  heart  could  misinterpret  as  dangerous 
to  the  State.  Still,  in  case  any  of  them  were  to  fall 
into  the  hands  of  his  enemies,  they  might  be  per- 
verted into  testimony  against  him. 

Mrs.  Lavater  thought  of  this,  and  as  she  passed 
toward  a  corner  of  the  room,  she  stood  for  a  moment 
at  the  door  of  the  wardrobe,  and,  unperceived  by 
any  one,  even  her  husband,  she  locked  the  door,  and 
handed  the  key  to  a  servant-girl  who  was  standing 
near  by.  In  this  way  the  very  existence  of  a  closet 
was  not  observed,  for  it  was  made  in  the  wall,  and  it 


270  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

would  not  have  been  very  easy  to  detect  it  without  a 
knob  or  a  key  to  show  its  whereabouts.  As  already 
intimated,  the  thoughtfulness  of  Mrs.  Lavater  prov- 
ed, in  the  end,  very  well-timed,  for  it  was  afterward 
found  that  among  the  papers  were  some  of  the  very 
greatest  importance  to  Mr.  Lavater. 

But  the  hardest  trial  of  all  to  her  life  was  the 
wounding  and  death  of  her  husband.  On  the  26th 
of  September,  1799,  the  French  captured  Zurich,  and 
her  husband,  while  standing  in  front  of  his  house, 
was  shot  by  a  French  soldier,  whom  he  had  befriend- 
ed a  few  moments  before.  Suffering  severe  pain,  he 
was  brought  into  the  house,  to  suffer  often  intensest 
agony  for  more  than  a  year,  until  he  died,  January 
2,  1 80 1.  During  all  that  time  she  was  his  constant 
companion,  his  faithful  nurse  and  strong  support — 
a  model  minister's  wife.  He  died  blessing  her  for 
what  she  had  done  for  him. 

Thus  their  happy  married  life  of  thirty-five  years 
was  broken  up,  and  she  entered  on  the  sad  years  of 
widowhood  and  old  age.  She  now  centered  her  life 
in  the  care  of  her  children  and  grandchildren.  On 
Easter,  181 1,  she  was  seized  with  a  severe  fever  and 
remained  weak  for  a  year.  Her  face  became  so  pale 
and  thin  that  she  could  scarcely  look  at  herself  in  the 


Anna  Lavater.  271 

glass.  But  she  said :  "O  how  rejoiced  I  am  that  I 
have  a  merciful  Savior,  to  whom  I  can  unite  in  heart 
and  soul  and  be  at  rest/'  Finally  after  some  years 
of  ill  health,  March  28,  181 5,  she  called  her  grand- 
children to  her  and  embraced  them,  saying:  "So  may 
our  Lord  Jesus  embrace  you  in  His  arms,  as  I  do 
now  ill  my  dying  arms/'  She  still  lived  till  Septem- 
ber 24,  when  her  spirit  fled  from  its  clay  tent  to  its 
Lord.  Her  character  is  beautifully  described  in  the 
following  tribute:  ''She  was  so  beloved  by  every 
one,  because  she  forgot  herself  in  her  love  for  God 
and  man.  Hence  her  fidelity  to  her  mission,  her  si- 
lent patience  in  sorrow,  her  purity,  beneficence  and 
wonderful  charity/' 


II. 

ANNA   SCHLATTER  AND    META   HEUSSER-SCHWEITZER. 

^-M    vVO  Swiss  saints  are  these    two    Christian 
*  women,  worthy  of  perpetual  remembrance 

in  the  Reformed  Church.    The  first  Hved  in 


the  canton  of  St.  Gall,  the  second  in  the  canton  of 
Zurich,  but  they  were  close  friends,  and  may,  there- 
fore, be  sketched  together. 

Anna  Schlatter  was  born  at  St.  Gall,  November  5, 
1773,  the  next  to  the  youngest  sister  among  twelve 
children.  She  was  the  daughter  of  a  prominent  man- 
ufacturer and  citizen,  named  Bernet.  Her  lot  had  fal- 
len in  hard  times,  for  in  her  girlhood  her  family  had 
to  struggle  financially,  and  in  her  maturity  she  had  to 
contend  against  the  prevailing  Rationalism.  Yet  she 
stood  as  a  witness  for  the  truth — a  modern  Reform- 
ed Miriam,  singing  her  poetic  songs  when  the 
Church  was  threatened,  not  by  the  hosts  of  Egypt, 
as  in  Miriam's  time,  but  by  unbelief.  Fortunately 
for  her,  her  family  was.  a  pious  one.  One  of  her  an- 
cestors had  been  the  reformer  of  St.  Gall — Watt  or 
Vadianus.  She  was,  therefore,  reared  under  spirit- 
ual influences.  On  Sunday  she  was  trained  to  go 
regularly  to  church,  and,  according  to  the  custom 

273 


274  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church, 

of  the  times,  she  was  not  allowed  to  take  a  walk  till 
after  afternoon  service.  There  came  a  famine  to  the 
land,  and  many  of  the  people  suffered  much  from 
hunger.  Her  father's  business  declined,  and  he  was 
compelled  to  give  it  up  when  she  was  three  years  of 
age.  Suddenly  he  died,  April  26,  1800,  when  she 
was  seven  years  old.  After  her  father's  death  she 
clung  closer  than  ever  to  her  mother,  but  it  was  not 
long.  A  year  later  her  mother,  in  the  midst  of  her 
children  at  the  table,  after  she  had  said  grace,  sud- 
denly had  a  stroke  and  died.  Left  an  orphan,  she 
w  as  cared  for  by  the  orphans'  God.  And  although 
those  were  days  of  unbelief,  yet  God  led  her  to  Him- 
self. A  sermon  by  Haseli,  read  when  she  was  thir- 
teen years  old,  deeply  convicted  her  of  her  sins,  and 
led  her  to  come  to  God  in  deepest  penitence.  She  was 
confirmed  at  the  age  of  fifteen.  But  the  catechetical 
instruction  of  the  city  pastor,  Stahelin,  seemed  cold 
to  her  earnest  heart.  She  longed  for  a  warmer, 
higher  religious  experience  and  life.  Fortunately 
for  her,  she  became  associated  with  Lavater's  fam- 
ily, and  this  led  her  ultimately  to  full  assurance  of 
salvation.  In  1792  she  learned  to  know  Nette,  Le- 
vater's  daughter,  who  afterwards  became  the  wife  of 
Antistes  Gessner,  of  Zurich.    Through  her  she  learn- 


Anna   Schlatter — Meta   Hensser-Schzveitzer.  275 

ed  to  know  Lavater.  She  read  his  books,  from  which 
she  derived  much  comfort  and  light.  And  when  La- 
vater visited  St.  Gall  in  1793,  she  visited  him  and  put 
to  him  the  great  questions  of  her  soul.  He  pointed 
her  to  God,  and  she  was  satisfied.  She  thus  inclined 
toward  the  Pietism,  rather  than  the  rationalism,  of 
her  day. 

In  that  year  Hector  Schlatter,  a  prominent  citizen 
of  St.  Gall,  proposed  marriage.  Many  and  deep 
were  her  conflicts.  She  loved  him,  but  he  was  a  ra- 
tionalist like  his  uncle  Zollikofer,  the  great  pulpit- 
orator  of  Leipsic.  Did  not  the  Bible  forbid  an  un- 
equal yoking  together  of  believers  with  unbelievers  ? 
She  went  to  God  in  prayer.  And  on  her  knees  she 
prayed  to  God  to  put  some  hindrance  in  the  way  of 
their  marriage,  if  it  was  going  to  influence  her  away 
from  Him.  Lavater,  too,  gave  his  advice  that  she 
marry  him.  And  Mr.  Schlatter  promised  never  to 
interfere  with  her  religious  views.  So  hoping  to 
lead  him  to  a  saving  knowledge  of  Jesus,  she  mar- 
ried him  February  18,  1794,  x\ntistes  Scherrer 
preaching  the  marriage  sermon  on  Psalm  103  117,  18. 
After  their  marriage  she  remained  true  to  her 
Church,  although  touched  somewhat  by  worldliness. 
But  in  1804  there  came  a  change.    She  names  Febru- 


276  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

ary  22  of  that  year  as  the  day  of  her  completed  assur- 
ance. On  that  day  she  says,  "I  gave  myself  entirely 
without  any  exception,  with  all  that  I  am  and  have, 
living  and  dying,  to  Him.  And  the  peace  of  God 
higher  than  all  knowledge  filled  my  soul.  I  was  a 
new  creature.  Everything  appeared  to  me  in  a  dif- 
ferent light.  Prayer  was  my  delight,  the  reading  of 
the  Bible  my  highest  pleasure,  and  the  Gospel  was 
to  me  a  treasure,  whose  key  I  never  before  had  had." 
She  now  labored  and  prayed  more  earnestly  than 
ever  for  the  conversion  of  her  husband.  He  never 
read  the  Bible,  and  although  he  prayed,  yet  it  was 
about  earthly  things.  To  spiritual  truths  his  soul 
was  dark.  She  continued  in  prayer  for  him,  but  it 
was  not  until  the  death  of  his  father  that  he  soften- 
ed and  said  to  his  wife,  "How  thankful  I  am  that 
among  Christ^s  disciples  there  was  a  doubting 
Thomas."  His  wife,  quick  to  discern  her  opportun- 
ity, said  to  him,  /'Yes,  but  Jesus  said  to  Thomas, 
'Blessed  are  they  who  not  having  seen  yet  believe.' " 
With  joy  she  now  noticed  that  he  read  his  Bible. 
And  the  more  he  read  the  more  he  saw  that  his  own 
morality  could  not  save  him,  until  finally  she  had  the 
great  joy  of  seeing  him  an  humble  follower  of  Christ. 
Thus  by  her  piety  she  sanctified  the  unbelieving  hus- 


A  mm    Schlatter — A<feta   Heiisser-Schweitzer.  2^^ 

band,  and  by  her  prayers  brought  him  to  Christ. 
What  an  encouragement  this  to  wives  praying  for 
unsaved  husbands. 

Many,  however,  were  her  cares  and  anxieties  as 
mother.  Thirteen  children  came  to  bless  her  home. 
But  she  had  a  great  mother-heart  to  take  them  all  in. 
Nevertheless  they  brought  many  cares.  In  all  she 
was  as  careful  a  housekeeper  as  a  loving  mother. 
No  article  of  clothing,  no  bed  clothes,  not  even  a 
stocking  failed  to  pass  her  close  inspection.  She  was 
seamstress,  washerwoman  and  everything  else  in  her 
home.  Many  sorrows  came  to  her  in  these  cares. 
Three  children  died  in  early  childhood,  two  of  them 
within  a  quarter  of  an  hour  of  each  other.  Yet,  in 
spite  of  all  these  cares  and  troubles,  she  found  time 
to  write  the  most  beautiful  poems.  And  while  ex- 
celling as  a  housekeeper  in  industry,  economy  and 
executive  ability,  she  also  excelled  as  a  writer  of  re- 
ligious hymns  and  letters.  Her  religious  prose  is 
classic  in  its  style.  But  it  was  especially  as  ''moth- 
er'' that  her  piety  appears  in  her  writings.  She  had 
great  love  for  children,  and  her  great  desire  was  to 
train  them  all  for  God.  Her  mother-words  are  won- 
derful. Exquisitely  beautiful  are  her  words  of  ad- 
vice to  her  son  at  his  confirmation  in  1810,  entitled, 


278  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

"Words  of  a  warm  mother-heart  laid  on  a  tender 
child^s  heart."  And  very  touching  are  her  words  to 
her  daughter  at  confirmation  in  181 5.  And  to  one 
of  her  sons,  who  was  on  a  journey,  she  wrote,  ''Some 
mother-words  for  a  traveler's  pocket/'  Surely  no 
son  could  go  astray  with  such  a  letter  in  his  pocket. 
No  wonder  that  with  such  a  mother  (for  not  all  sons 
have  such  a  mother)  one  of  her  sons,  Casper,  became 
a  minister. 

The  first  of  her  writings  to  be  published  was  her 
letter  to  her  oldest  son  on  his  confirmation  day,  18 10. 
It  was  published  without  her  knowledge  by  a  friend, 
Engelman,  at  Stuttgard,  in  181 7.  Her  writings 
were  so  beautiful  and  loving,  so  chaste  and  artless, 
that  they  gave  her  fame.  Knapp  published  eleven  of 
her  hymns  in  1837.  Her  poems  were  published  in 
1835,  and  the  next  year  another  edition  was  requir- 
ed. One  hundred  and  thirty-two  of  her  hymns  and 
poems  have  been  printed,  some  of  them  masterpieces. 

But  great  as  is  her  fame  as  a  poetess,  as  her  son- 
in-law,  Zahn,  says  very  beautifully,  her  greater  fame 
is  her  "mother  fame."  We  regret  that  not  more  of 
her  beautiful  poems  and  hymns  have  found  their 
way  into  English.  Her  confirmation  hymn,  written 
in  her  letter  to  her  son  on  confirmation  day,  18 10,  is 


Aiiiia    Schlatter — Mcta    Heiisscr-Schiveitzcr.  279 

worthy  of  a  place  in  our  hymnology.  Thus,  by  her 
writings,  Anna  Schlatter  became  the  centre  of  an 
awakening  in  the  beginning  of  the  century,  and  ex- 
erted an  influence  far  beyond  her  family  and  her 
land.  She  had  a  large  correspondence  with  leading 
theological  thinkers  of  her  time,  as  Lavater  at  Zu- 
rich, Yung  Stilling  at  Heidelberg,  Menken  at  Bre- 
men, the  Quaker  Grellet  as  New  York,  and  others, 
and  even  with  evangelical  Catholics,  as  Sailor,  Boos, 
Gossner,  and  others.  Noble  people  corresponded 
with  her  or  visited  her.  In  182 1  she  made  one  dis- 
tant trip  to  Barmen,  Germany,  where  she  was  de- 
lighted with  the  religious  life  of  the  Reformed  Wup- 
perthal.  She  also  developed  great  activity,  espe- 
cially in  the  circulation  of  the  Bible  among  the  Cath- 
olics. She  started  the  cause  of  missions  in  her  can- 
ton and  gave  her  son,  Casper,  as  one  of  the  teachers 
of  the  newly-founded  mission  house  at  Basle.  Af- 
ter a  visit  of  pastor  Steinkopf,  of  London,  to  St. 
Gall,  she  became  so  enthusiastic  on  the  subject  of 
missions  that  she  organized  a  woman's  missionary 
society  at  her  house.  Thus  a  Reformed  poetess  is 
the  founder  of  the  first  Women's  Missionary  Society 
in  Europe,  just  as  a  Reformed  lady,  Mrs.  Doremus, 
was  the  founder  of  ladies'  missionary  societies  in 


28o  IVoiiicn  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

America.  She  also  raised  a  good  deal  of  money 
among  her  friends  for  missions. 

Her  last  years  were  years  of  great  suffering,  as 
she  had  to  lie  in  bed  with  dropsy.  But  God's  grace 
was  sufficient  for  her.  She  became  so  happy  at  the 
thought  of  death  that  she  did  not  want  to  hear  her 
friends  suggest  to  her  the  possibility  of  a  recovery. 
She  died  February  25,  1826.  Her  last  words  were, 
"God  is  mine  and  I  am  His." 

Sweet  as  were  the  poet  songs  of  Anna  Schlatter, 
still  sweeter  were  the  strains  of  her  Reformed  sister, 
Meta  Heusser-Schweitzer.  "The  most  beautiful  reli- 
gious poetess  of  the  German  language,'"  once  said  Dr. 
Schaff  to  me.  She  was  about  a  quarter  of  a  century 
younger  than  Anna  Schlatter,  and  was  born  April  6, 
1797.  The  place  of  her  birth,  Hirzel,  in  canton  Zu- 
rich, continued  to  be  the  scene  of  her  life  till  her 
death.  It  is  a  beautiful  hilltop  overlooking  the  Zu- 
rich lake  on  the  north,  and  to  the  east  and  south,  the 
snow-capped  Alps.  In  this  quiet  mountain  parish 
her  father  was  pastor  for  many  years,  till  he  died  in 
1824.  Here  she  grew  up  in  absolute  quietness  and 
retirement,  never  going  away  from  it  till  she  was 
about  sixteen  years  of  age.  Her  first  trip  was  made 
to  St.  Gall,  where  she  came  into  contact  with  the 


Anna   Schlatter — Meta   Hensser-Schweitser.  281 

family  of  Anna  Schlatter,  and  formed  a  very  close 
attachment  with  her  daughter,  with  whom  she  kept 
up  correspondence  until  death.  In  1821  she  married 
Dr.  Heusser,  the  physician  of  her  home,  Hirzel. 

*'Her's  was  woman's  usual  lot, 
Cares   and  trials  wanting  not." 

She  had  seven  children  and  cares  enough  to  make 
life  very  prosaic,  but  her  natural  poetic  genius  leap- 
ed over  all  barriers  and  burst  forth  in  sweetest  song. 
Her  greatest  cares  made  her  sing  the  sweetest.  "As 
a  bird  sings  among  the  branches,  so  she  sang.^^  She 
was  a  most  artless,  natural  poetess.  From  others' 
poems  she  caught  little  inspiration,  although 
Goethe's  and  Schiller's  works  came  as  a  blessing  to 
her  home.  Sitting  at  her  spinning-wheel  she  learn- 
ed many  of  Schiller's  ballads.  But  she  caught  her 
inspiration  rather  from  the  beautiful  Alpine  world 
around  her.  As  Koch  in  his  History  of  German 
Hymns  says,  ''She  had  few  means  of  instruction  ex- 
cept the  Book  of  Books  and  the  book  of  nature.  Both 
of  these  she  had  studied  diligently,  and  the  deep  in- 
sight she  obtained  from  both  is  shown  in  her  poems." 
Even  before  she  had  read  Klopstock,  who  was  the 
inspirer  of  so  many  German  poets,  she  felt  the  im- 


282  Women  of  the  Reformed  CJuircIi. 

pulse  to  write,  which  she  could  not  suppress.  She 
wrote  her  poems  as  the  outbursts  of  her  heart,  little 
dreaming  of  their  publication.  But  her  friends,  es- 
pecially Knapp,  of  Stuttgard,  thought  otherwise,  and 
wanted  them  put  in  print.  For  a  long  time  she  re- 
fused to  make  public  these  ''spirit  children"'  as  she 
called  them.  Finally,  Knapp,  in  1834,  secured  per- 
mission to  print  a  few  over  the  signature  of  "A  Hid- 
den One,''  in  his  Christoterpe.  These  gave  her  fame. 
In  1857  he  succeeded  in  getting  her  to  allow  him  to 
publish  the  first  volume  of  her  poems,  followed  ten 
years  later  by  a  second  volume.  In  a  short  time  she 
was  known  wherever  the  German  language  was 
spoken.  Her  husband  died  in  1859,  ^^^  she  spent 
the  remaining  years  of  her  life  at  her  beautiful 
eagle's  eyrie  at  Hirzel  with  two  of  her  daughters. 
She  died  January  2,  1876.  ''O  come.  Lord,  Jesus," 
she  said.  And  as  her  sister,  Anna,  asked  her,  "You 
are  glad  to  enter  heaven,  are  you  not  ?"  she  replied, 
''O,  yes,"  and  she  passed  beyond  the  clouds  and 
above  the  Alps  to  Christ's  throne  of  glory.  One  of 
the  most  pleasant  visits  the  writer  has  made  in  Eu- 
rope was  to  Hirzel  to  see  Meta  Heusser's  grave,  and 
meet  her  daughter.  "This  is  the  room,"  the  daugh- 
ter said  to  me,  ''where  Dr.  Schaff  loved  to  spend  his 


Anna   Schlatter — Mcta   Heusser-Schzveit^er.  283 

time  and  wliere  my  mother  died," — a  room  overlook- 
ing the  beautiful  lake  of  Zurich.  Dr.  Schaiif  was  a 
warm  friend  of  the  poetess,  and  when  in  Europe  al- 
ways visited  there. 

Some  of  her  poems  were  translated  into  English 
and  published  in  a  little  booklet  called  Alpine  Lyrics. 
Fortunately  her  poetry  is  so  simple  as  to  be  easily 
rendered  into  English.  We  give  one  of  her  poems 
to  show  their  peculiar  beauty.  It  reveals  how 
nature,  and  especially  the  Alps,  inspired  her  poetry : 

The  everlasting  hills;  how  calm  they  rise, 
Bold  witnesses  to  an  almighty  God. 
We  gaze  with  longing  heart  and  eager  eyes, 
And  feel  as  if  short  pathway  may  suffice 
From  those  pure  regions  to  the  heavenly  land. 

At  early  dawn  when  the  first  rays  of  light, 
Play  like  a  rose  wreath  in  the  peaks  of  snow, 
And  late,  when  half  the  valley  seems  in  night. 
Yet  still,  around  each  pale  majestic  height, 
The  sun's  last  smile  has  left  a  crimson  glow. 

Then  the  heart  longs,  it  calls  for  wings  to  fly 
Above  all  lower  scenes  of  earth  to  soar, 
Where  yonder  golden  clouds  arrested  lie, 
Where  granite  cliffs  and  glaciers  gleam  on  high. 
As  wiih  reflected  light  from  heaven's  door. 


284  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

Whence  the  strange  spell,  by  thoughtful  souls  confessed, 
Even  in  shadow  of  the  mountains  found? 
'Tis  the  deep  voice  within  our  human  breast, 
Which  bids  us  seek  a  refuge  and  a  rest 
Above,  beyond,  what  meets  us  here  around. 

Ever  to  men  of  God  the  hills  were  dear, 
Since  on  the  slopes  of  Ararat,  the  dove 
Plucked  the  wet  olive,  pledge  of  hope  and  cheer, 
Or'israel  stood  entranced  in  silent  fear, 
While  God  on  Sinai  thundered  from  above. 

And  once  on  Tabor  was  a  vision  given, 
Sublime  as  that  which  Israel  feared  to  view. 
When  the  transfigured  Lord  of  earth  and  heaven, 
Mortality's  dim  curtain  lifted,  riven, 
Revealed  His  glory  to  His  chosen  few. 

On  mountain  heights  of  Galilee  he  prayed 
While  others  slept,  and  all  beneath  was  still; 
From  Olivet's  recesses  of  awful  shade 
Thrice  was  that  agonized  petition  made, 
"O  that  this  cup  might  pass,  if  such  thy  will!" 

And  on  Mount  Zion,  in  the  better  land, 
Past  every  danger  of  the  pilgrim  way. 
At  our  Redeemer's  feet  we  hope  to  stand 
And  learn  the  meanings  of  His  guiding  hand 
Through  all  the  changes  of  our  earthly  day. 


Anna   Schlatter — Meta   Heusser  Schzveitzer.  285 

Then  hail,  calm  sentinels  of  heaven,  again 
Proclaim  your  message,  as  in  ages  past! 
Tell  us  that  pilgrims  shall  not  toil  in  vain, 
That  Zion's  mount  we  surely  shall  attain. 
Where  all  home  longings  find  a  home  at  last. 

A.  Knapp,  one  of  the  finest  literary  critics  of  Ger- 
man poetry,  says  of  her:  "An  admirable  writer, 
whose  tender  spiritual  lays  far  surpass  those  of  for- 
mer German  poetesses.  She  knows  alike  how  to 
breathe  the  flute  tones  of  faith  or  to  sound  the  trum- 
pet call  among  the  children  of  God."  Rev.  Dr. 
Schaff  says:  ''Her  poems  combine  true  poetic 
genius  with  deep  piety  and  experience  in  the  school 
of  affliction,  which  impart  to  them  an  air  of  holy 
sadness  and  home-longings  after  heaven  and  thus 
render  them  peculiarly  consoling  to  sad  hearts." 


Chapter  II.— WOMEN  OF  AMERICA. 
I. 

MRS.   THOMAS  C.   DOREMUS. 

HNE  American  lady  may  be  added,  in  closing 
this  record  of  the  Reformed  women.  She 
did  not  live  in  the  days  of  martyrdom 
and  suffering,  but  in  the  times  of  the  larger  de- 
velopment of  the  Christian  activities.  It  was 
the  mission  of  the  women  of  past  centuries  to 
sustain  the  church;  of  the  women  of  today,  to  ex- 
tend the  church  in  its  influence.  In  this  widening 
sphere  of  the  new  opportunity  for  woman  offered  in 
the  last  century  Mrs.  Thomas  C.  Doremus,  of  New 
York  City,  has  left  a  most  remarkable  and  noble 
record. 

She  was  born  in  New  York  City,  but  her  parents 
removed  in  her  childhood  to  Elizabeth,  N.  J.  In 
182 1  she  was  married  to  Mr.  Thomas  C.  Doremus, 
who  cordially  sympathized  with  all  her  Christian 
activities,  and  by  his  princely  liberality  as  long  as 
he  was  able,  aided  her  in  sustaining  them.  She 
united  with  the  Dutch  Reformed  church  of  New 
York  about  1822,  and  though  a  devoted  adherent  of 

287 


288  Women  of.  the  Reformed  Church. 

the   Reformed    faith,    yet   her   sympathy   knew    no 
sect;  her  cathoHc  spirit  knev/  no  dividing  lines. 

Her  interest  in  foreign  missions  she  dated  back  to 
her  girlhood  in  1812,  when  her  mother  would  take 
her  to  meetings  where  Airs.  Isabella  Graham  and 
others  wonld  pray  for  the  conversion  of  the  world. 
The  ladies  of  the  various  congregations  were  then 
accustomed  to  prepare  outfits  for  missionaries  and 
often  she  went  to  Boston  where  they  usually  em- 
barked, and  fitted  up  their  rude  cabins  with  the  com- 
forts for  the  voyage  and  added  tempting  delicacies. 
And  when  the  missionaries  returned,  often  broken 
down  in  health  she  would  place  her  most  delicate 
dainties  on  the  table,  saying,  "It  is  because  they  do 
not  get  this  that  I  want  them  to  enjoy  it  now."  On 
one  occasion  a  returned  missionary  happened  to  la- 
ment to  her  that  in  the  outfit  for  a  voyage  to  India 
only  cotton  sheets  had  been  provided  for  a  delicate 
husband.  Mrs.  Doremus  immediately  applied  to 
several  friends  for  linen  sheets.  When  she  was 
asked  to  take  them  to  the  missionary,  she  replied, 
"Send  them  yourself  in  your  ovv^i  name,  as  she  will 
appreciate  deeply  this  expression  of  your  personal 
interest."  The  next  day  the  missionary  said  to  Mrs. 
Doremus,  "My  dear  friend,  do  you  know  the  most 


Mrs.  Thomas  C.  Dor  emus.  289 

wonderful  thing  happened  after  I  mentioned  to  you 
my  disappointment  about  the  cotton  sheets.  Ring 
after  ring  came  to  our  door  and  every  one  was  to 
bring  linen  sheets."  Years  afterwards,  when  an  oc- 
casion called  for  a  repetition  of  this  incident,  Mrs. 
Doremus  said,  '*I  never  told  my  friend  that  I  had 
asked  for  them." 

Far  away  in  a  southern  parsonage  a  minister's 
wife  happened  to  meet  a  returned  missionary  from 
Persia,  brought  together  through  the  forethought  of 
Mrs.  Doremus.  When  this  missionary  arrived  in 
England,  she  was  welcomed  by  Mrs.  Ranyard,  the 
head  of  the  Bible  Woman's  Mission,  who  in  their 
brief  interview  would  often  say,  "You  will  know  this 
or  that  when  you  see  Mrs.  Doremus,"  ''How  shall  I 
know  her,"  "Who  is  she,"  this  lady  would  say  to  her- 
self. She  then  crossed  the  ocean  and  arrived  at  New 
York  and  was  waiting  with  one  missionary  friend 
while  another  looked  up  quarters  for  them.  She  knew 
no  one,  expected  no  one,  was  a  lonely,  bereaved 
stranger — all  her  surroundings  comfortless  and 
dreary — when  a  lady  entered,  looked  here  and  there 
as  if  seeking  some  one,  and  at  length  asked  if  she 
could  be  directed  where  to  find  a  lady  whom  she 
named,  who  was  a  returned  missionary.     She  then 


290  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

went  up  to  this  strange  missionary,  introduced  her- 
self as  Mrs.  Doremus,  and  invited  her  and  her  com- 
panion to  her  house.  This  being  declined  she  asked 
them  to  name  an  hour  when  she  could  call  for  them. 
At  the  appointed  hour  she  came  with  a  carriage  to 
take  them  on  a  drive,  but  bringing  a  copy  of  the 
memoir,  just  published,  of  the  missionary's  husband, 
a  touching  surprise  to  this  young  widow  on  her  re- 
turn to  America.  Thus  it  was  that  she  refreshed 
the  missionaries. 

She  took  a  deep  interest  in  the  establishment  of  a 
mission  in  the  Hawaiian  Islands.  Hearing  that  there 
was  danger  of  closing  the  schools,  she  tried  to  raise 
funds  to  keep  them  open.  Her  husband  bought  for 
her  at  that  time  an  elegant  shawl  of  the  latest  fash- 
ion. She,  however,  begged  him  to  give  her  its  cost 
instead.  With  this  money  she  purchased  materials 
for  the  delicate  fancy  work  and  embroidery,  in  which 
she  excelled,  and  prepared  a  box  for  sale  in  the 
Sandwich  Islands  which  brought  five  hundred 
dollars. 

In  1828,  when  the  sympathies  of  this  country  went 
out  so  strongly  for  Greece,  Mrs.  Doremus,  hearing 
of  the  needs  of  the  Greek  ladies,  organized  the  ladies 
into  a  band  of  relief.     As  a  result  Dr.  Jonas  King 


Mrs.  Thomas  C.  Dor  emus.  291 

was  sent  to  Athens  with  large  supplies.  This  opened 
the  way  for  him  to  become  missionary  for  many 
years  at  that  port.  In  1832,  when  Rev.  Dr.  Abeel 
of  the  Dutch  Reformed  Church,  returned  to  th* 
country,  he  tried  to  organize  a  woman^s  missionary 
society.  He  had  made  a  similar  appeal  to  the  wo- 
men of  Great  Britain,  describing  to  them  the  fearful 
degradation  of  the  women  in  the  Orient.  Mrs. 
Doremus  entered  into  this  work  with  great  earnest- 
ness. A  meeting  for  the  purpose  of  organizing  a 
Woman's  Missionary  Society  was  called  at  the  house 
of  Mrs.  Divie  Bethune.  Rev.  Dr.  Anderson,  one  of 
the  secretaries  of  the  American  Board,  was  present 
but  asked  the  ladies  to  defer  the  organization  as  he 
feared  it  would  interfere  with  the  work  of  their 
Board.  Mrs.  Bethune  answered  him,  "What,  are  the 
American  Board  afraid  that  the  ladies  will  get  ahead 
of  them?''  Owing  to  Dr.  Anderson's  objection,  there 
at  once  appeared  a  division  among  them.  Some 
were  in  favor  of  going  on,  others  out  of  respect  for 
Dr.  Anderson  wanted  to  wait.  Then  it  was  that 
Dr.  Abeel  made  his  impassioned  plea,  as  tears  rolled 
down  his  face :  ''What  is  to  become  of  the  souls  of 
those  who  are  ignorant  of  the  offers  of  mercy  and  of 
the  Bible  ?"    So  the  organization  of  the  society  was 


292  Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

postponed.  But  in  i860  the  Woman's  Foreign  Mis- 
sionary Society  was  organized.  For  fifteen  years 
Mrs.  Doremus'  house  was  its  headquarters  and  con- 
tained all  the  machinery  necessary  to  do  the  work. 
And  she  was  a  mother  to  all  the  missionaries  sent 
out  by  their  society,  helping  them  at  their  departure 
and  welcoming  them  on  their  return.  She  was  con- 
stantly thoughtful  of  their  comfort  though  far  away. 
She  would  gather  items  of  interest,  or  sketches  of 
lectures  and  send  them  to  them  in  the  field  to  lighten 
their  loneliness  or  toil.  No  great  public  event  trans- 
pired that  she  did  not  send  copies  of  the  newspapers 
to  all  the  stations.  And  she  was  always  looking  out 
for  inspiring  books  which  she  would  send  to  them  by 
mail. 

But  she  was  not  only  intensely  interested  in  for- 
eign missions,  but  in  home  missions  as  well,  espe- 
cially in  city  mission  work.  About  1835  she  began 
a  Sabbath  service  in  the  city  prison  of  New  York, 
and  by  personal  work  rescued  many  a  wandering 
soul.  Her  family  often  heard  her  say,  that  many 
whom  she  has  since  seen  in  their  carriages,  she  had 
restored  to  their  families.  Out  of  this  prison  work 
of  hers  grew  her  interest  in  the  Women's  Prison 
Association,  of  which  she  was  president  for  fourteen 


Mrs.  Thomas  C.  Doremus.  293 

years.  She  was  for  thirty-six  years  a  manager  of 
the  City  and  Tract  Mission  Society,  and  for  twenty- 
eight  years  a  manager  of  the  City  Bible  Society. 
She  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  House  and 
School  of  Industry  and  for  ten  years  its  president; 
and  for  twenty-three  years  connected  with  the  Nur- 
sery and  Child's  Hospital. 

In  1855  she  took  special  interest  in  the  Woman's 
Hospital  the  first  institution  of  the  kind  in  the 
world.  After  Dr.  Sims,  who  originated  the  idea,  had 
been  repeatedly  disappointed,  he  came  to  Mrs.  Do- 
remus with  his  project.  Although  she  had  her  hands 
full  of  other  work  she  could  not  resist  this  plea.  To 
none  of  her  benevolent  institutions  did  she  devote  as 
much  work  as  to  this,  often  going  to  Albany  to  se- 
cure charter  or  State  appropriations,  and  collecting 
large  sums  for  it.  She  early  began  Sabbath  religious 
services  in  the  institution,  and  was  often  disap- 
pointed at  the  last  moment  in  getting  a  minister.  She 
would  then  start  out  early  Sunday  morning  in  search 
of  one,  sometimes  getting  to  church  breathless,  say- 
ing, "I  have  secured  a  minister."  After  the  hospital 
service  she  would  distribute  tracts  and  leaflets  to  the 
patients  with  words  of  cheer.  During  the  Civil  War 
she  was  very  busy  in  distributing  supplies  to  all  the 


294        Women  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

hospitals  in  and  around  New  York  City.  One  very 
warm  day  a  large  detachment  of  wounded  officers 
came  unexpectedly  while  she  was  at  work  in  the  city 
hospital  in  the  park.  She  saw  their  distress  for 
handkerchiefs  and  immediately  purchased  and 
hemmed  with  her  own  hands  dozens  for  their  supply. 
She  was  deeply  interested  in  the  Presbyterian  Home 
for  Aged  Women,  and  also  in  the  infant  school  of 
her  own  church.  With  all  these  varied  activities  she 
did  not  forget  her  own  home  which  always  had  the 
first  claim  upon  her  time  and  strength.  One  won- 
ders how  she  ever  was  able  to  be  busy  in  so  many  di- 
rections. She  must  have  been  a  woman  of  remark- 
able tact  and  energy. 

She  was  active  to  the  very  last.  On  January  226., 
1877,  she  had  a  fall  against  the  furniture  of  her 
house  which  was  a  premonition  of  her  death.  Yet 
the  Saturday  before  her  injury  she  distributed  the 
annual  prizes  at  the  Home  and  School  of  Industry 
to  the  poor  children.  On  the  last  Sabbath  she  spent 
on  earth,  she  sent  through  her  daughter  the  gifts  to 
the  patients  of  the  Woman's  Hospital,  and  on  her 
return  listened  with  eagerness  to  her  account  of  their 
reception  by  the  inmates.  She  died  January  29, 
^^77 y  greatly  mourned  by  all  and  greatly  missed  by 
the  societies  she  had  aided. 


Mj's.  Thomas  C.  Doremus.  295 

There  were  two  secrets  to  her  wonderful  life,  per- 
sonal consecration  and  untiring  activity.  Thus 
when  the  Woman's  Missionary  Society  met  at  her 
house  and  she  was  asked  if  this  or  that  could  be 
done,  her  reply  was,  "All  I  have  is  the  Lord's/'  For 
her  to  live  was  Christ.  A  friend  once  met  her  at  the 
Moody  meetings  in  the  Hippodrome  and  greeted  her 
with,  ''Are  you  here  alone?''  Her  reply  was,  "No, 
I  am  never  alone."  Tliat  was  the  secret  of  her  life — 
the  continual  presence  of  her  Lord  with  her.  Her 
activity  was  as  great  as  her  consecration.  Her  fa- 
vorite text  was,  "Whatsoever  thy  hand  findeth  to  do, 
do  it  with  thy  might."  As  her  health  was  generally 
delicate  and  she  suffered  for  many  years  from  pul- 
monary troubles,  she  often  said,  "I  do  today,  for  fear 
tomorrow  will  never  come."  Rev.  Dr.  E.  P.  Rogers, 
her  pastor  at  the  South  Dutch  church,  said  in  his 
funeral  address  as  he  bent  over  her  form  lying  be- 
fore the  pulpit,  "For  the  first  time  she  rests  from  her 
labors.  He  beautifully  said  in  that  address :  "Well, 
here  is  her  epitaph,  written  1800  years  ago  by  St. 
Paul,  'Well  reported  of  for  good  works,  she  hath 
hath  brought  up  children,  she  hath  lodged  strangers, 
she  hath  washed  the  saints'  feet,  she  hath  relieved 
the  afflicted,  she  hath  diligently  followed  every  good 
work.' " 


INDEX. 

Page 
Part  I.     Women  of  the  Reformation. 

Chapter  I,     Switzerland. 

Anna  Reinhard,  Zwingli's  Wife. 5 

Calvin's  Wife,  Idelette  D'Bures 21 

Anna  Bullinger   31 

Chapter  II.     Germany. 

Catharine  Zell 45 

Margaret  Blaarer 55 

Chapter  III.     France. 

Queen  Margaret  of  Navarre 59 

Queen  Jeanne  D'Albret  of  Navarre 71 

Charlotte  D'Mornay 87 

Phillipine   De  Luns 95 

Charlotte  D'Bourbon,  Princess  of  Orange 103 

Louisa  De  Coligny,  Princess  of  Orange 113 

Chapter  IV.     Italy. 

Duchess  Renee  of  Este 125 

Olympia  Morata 135 

Part  II.     Women  of  the  Seventeenth  Century. 

Chapter  I.     Germany. 

Electress  Elizabeth  of  the  Palatinate 149 

Electress  Louisa  Juliana  of  the  Palatinate 163 

Landgravine  Amalie  Elizabeth  of  Hesse  Cassel 171 

Countess  Ursula  of  Hadamer 177 

Countess  Gertrude  of  Bentheim Opposite  page  187 


Duchess  Cathrine  Charlotte  of  Palatinate-Neuberg. . . 

Opposite  page  199 
Princess  Elizabeth  of  the  Palatinate. .  .Opposite  page  205 
Electress  Louisa  Henrietta  of  Brandenburg 

Opposite  page  221 
Chapter  II.     Women  of  Other  Lands. 

Countess  Susan  Rakoczy  of  Hungary.  .Opposite  page  237 
The  Women  of  the  Tower  of  Constance 

Opposite  page  245 
Chapter  II.     Women  of  Switzerland. 

Anna  Lavater Opposite  page  253 

Anna  Schaltter  and  Meta  Heusser  Schweitzer 

Opposite  page  273 
Chapter  IV.     Women  of  America. 

Mrs.  Thomas  C.   Doremus Opposite  page  285 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 

Heidelberg  in  1620 Frontispiece 

Zwingli  Reading  His  Translation  of  the  Bible  to  His  wife 

Opposite  page  11 

Zwingli's  Monument  at  Cappel Opposite  page  15 

Zwingli's   Daughter Opposite  page  19 

Queen  Margaret  Entertaining  Reformed  Refugees 

Opposite  page  68 

Queen  Jeanne  D'Albret  Addressing  the  xA^rmy 

Opposite  page  80 

Duchess  Renee  Defying  Malicorne Opposite  page  131 

Electress  Louisa  Juliana  Interceding  with  Gustavus  Adol- 

phus Opposite  page  168 

Landgravine  Amalie  Elizabeth Opposite  page  171 

Electress   Louisa  Henrietta  of  Brandenburg 

Opposite  page  221 
The  Women  of  the  Tower  of  Constance..  .  .Opposite  page  245 


Princeton  Theological  Seinm.irv-Speer  Librj 


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